


A Melancholic Miracle

by wyomingparmesan



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst and Tragedy, Drama, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Romance, but it will not be all dark, there will also be lots of wholesomeness, yes this is a semi-dark story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:49:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 41,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24015481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wyomingparmesan/pseuds/wyomingparmesan
Summary: Usually, pregnancy is a wonderful and joyous time. The impending birth of a child can bring so much light and happiness to the life of expectant parents. Unfortunately, life sometimes has other plans and pregnancies can bring gloom and sadness to even the sweetest of couples. It's no exception for Paris's favorite superheroes, either. Rated T for discussion of serious topics.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth/Nathalie Sancoeur, Sabine Cheng/Tom Dupain
Comments: 44
Kudos: 82





	1. A Happy Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, I am back with a new story. This was originally going to be a one shot, but I kept thinking about it and as I came up with more and more ideas for it, I decided that it would probably work better as a short story. There will be two or three chapters, not sure yet. I will also warn that this story deals with a subject that is not for the faint of heart. It is a sad one, but it is something that happens to so many women every single day. There's not much of it shown in this chapter yet, but I'm just letting you know ahead of time. I also imagine that they're about 23-24 here too. With all that said, enjoy!

_Tick tock, tap tap tap_

Marinette heard the sounds of nearby objects echoing in her ears. The waiting room was so quiet that she could hear the clock ticking one second after the other. Her body shivered from the cold air conditioning blasting in the room. Her nervous fingers tapped on the arms of her chair.

She felt a hand grab hers, enveloping it in a warm grip.

"You still nervous?", Adrien asked her in a soft voice. He brought her hand up to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles.

Giving him a soft smile, she nodded and turned back to stare at the floor.

He returned her smile and cupped his other hand around hers. He felt a shiver go down his own spine. Whether it was from the cold air or his nerves, he would never know.

Marinette picked up her phone from her lap and looked at the notifications on the screen. Her morning had been filled with many "good luck!" texts from her best friend Alya, along with her parents sending their support to her and Adrien.

"You don't think it was too early to tell them this time, do you?", she asked, turning to him.

"Of course not," he said, squeezing her hand. "I know that everything is fine."

Marinette bit her lip and put her free hand on top of her pudging bump. "I'm glad that you're so positive," she said softly. "Because I'm definitely not."

Adrien noticed the worry in her eyes and frowned. "Marinette…I know that things have been rough these last few months," he said. "I'm nervous too if that helps. Just think of all the _good_ things the doctor could tell us when we go back there."

His words echoed in her ears as she closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall. There had been many other times recently where she tried to think of positive scenarios for this situation, but her mind always managed to take her back to that day.

The day that shook her entire world. The day that something precious was taken from her. The day that still felt fresh in her mind, like it was yesterday. A day that she would never forget.

* * *

Seven months earlier…

Marinette stood in the middle of the bathroom, pacing around as her feet scooted against the fluffy carpet beneath her feet.

"Has it been five minutes yet, Tikki?", she asked the kwami, who was sitting on the counter next to Plagg.

"Not yet Marinette," she said.

"Ooh what do these lines mean?", Plagg asked before sticking a piece of camembert in his mouth.

Marinette took a deep breath. "One line means 'no', two lines means 'yes'," she said. She stopped in place and began fanning her face, trying to cool down her warm cheeks.

The kwamis sat around the small stick on the counter, anticipating the pink lines to pop up once the timer had went off.

_Ring ring ring_

Marinette grabbed her phone from on top of the toilet lid and hit the 'end' button. "Alright, let's check this out," she said, walking over to the counter.

Tikki held the pregnancy test up to her, covering her mouth with one hand. "Take a look," she said.

She grabbed the test from her and carefully looked at the pink lines that formed a small plus sign. She covered her mouth her free hand and gasped.

"Are you okay, Marinette?", Plagg asked.

Marinette closed her eyes, feeling her body shake internally from the excitement. There was a moment of shock that made her feel as though she may vomit. Though now she knew that could just be morning sickness. "Y-Yes, I'm more than okay actually," she said. "I'm going to have a baby… _Adrien_ and I are going to have a baby."

The kwamis flew up and hugged her neck, both of them giggling. "We're so excited for you guys," Tikki said, resting on her shoulder.

"Yeah, and I think Adrien may faint," Plagg said, sitting on her other one.

Marinette laughed. "I hope not," she said. "But he definitely will be happy. We've been trying for a few months now."

Plagg's whiskers furrowed. "What do you mean 'trying'?"

She felt her face go pale and the heat returned to her cheeks. "I…um…you know," she said. "We've been trying to have a baby by…doing the thing that humans do."

The kwami's mouth opened in disgust as he soon realized what she meant. "Bleh!", he exclaimed, flying off of her shoulder. "Forget I even asked."

Tikki and Marinette laughed as Plagg went in search of cheese to soothe his palate.

Not far from them, the sound of a door opening and closing could be heard. They gasped and Tikki gave Marinette a slight push forward. " _Go!_ ", she said quietly.

Marinette stumbled forward a bit, but caught herself as she began her descent down the hallway. Her heart palpated in her chest as she heard the sounds of her love settling back into the house.

She found him by the door, setting his briefcase and folders aside and taking off his coat. "Adrien?", she said, causing him to notice her.

"Marinette?", he said, a perplexed expression on his face. "Why do you look so surprised to see me?"

She began walking up to him. "I-I'm sorry," she said, rubbing her arm with her hand. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gently kissed his cheek. "I'm just really happy to see you, that's all."

He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "I'm happy to see you, too," he said. "Especially because of how crazy my students were today."

"I want you to tell me all about it later," she said. "But first…there's something I need to tell you." She stepped backward, a cheeky smile on her face.

"Can I at least change my shirt first?", he asked, pulling on his collar.

"No, that can wait," she said, grabbing his hand. "Come on, let me show you." She led him towards the bathroom, where Tikki and Plagg still sat on the counter.

They stepped inside and Adrien looked around. "Were you guys having a party in here or something?", he asked.

Plagg picked up another piece of cheese. "Yeah we were," he said. "I guess you could call it a…" He flew over to the tub and pulled back the curtain. "A _baby shower_."

Marinette felt the hair stand up on the back of her neck. "PLAGG", she yelled, her face turning red.

The kwami's shoulders fell. "Oh…right," he said. "Sorry."

Adrien looked around, confusion in his eyes. "What are you guys talking about?", he asked. "There's no baby here."

Marinette approached him. "Actually…", she said, speaking softly. She took his hand and put it on her stomach. "I'm pregnant."

His eyes widened as he looked up and down, his eyes going back and forth between her beautiful smile and her midriff. "A-Are you for real?", he asked, his voice high pitch.

She nodded, bringing a hand to his face to caress his cheek. "Mhm," she said. "You're going to be a Papa."

Adrien wiped a few tears from his eyes and pulled her into a big hug. "Oh, I love you so much," he said. "This is one of the best days of my life."

Marinette hugged him back, laying her head in the crook of his neck. "I love you, too," she said. She watched as their kwamis came and joined in on the hug. "I love you guys too, even if Plagg _did_ almost spoil the surprise."

"Hey, he knows now doesn't he?", Plagg said. "That's what matters."

"He's right, ya know," Tikki said.

Adrien pulled back from the hug. "I'm so excited," he said, his feet bobbing up and down. "Let's order takeout tonight, my treat."

"Can we watch a cheesy romance movie too?", Marinette asked, laughing.

He kissed her cheek. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

The next few weeks were filled with much joy and excitement for the soon-to-be parents. Sometimes they would stay up late talking about potential baby names, other nights were spent with Adrien holding Marinette's hair back as she vomited from morning sickness.

"You okay, sweetheart?", he asked her once she had taken her head away from the toilet. He handed her a cloth. "I hate seeing you like this."

She grabbed it from him and wiped her mouth. "I think I'm okay now," she said, hiccupping. "At least now I know that this baby does not like shrimp."

Adrien stood up and stuck a hand out to her. She accepted it and he pulled her up to her feet. "You ready to go back to dinner?", he asked her, rubbing her cheek with his thumb. "We still haven't had dessert yet."

She nodded. "I can definitely go for some dessert," she said. "Just…no more seafood, please."

"Definitely not," he said. With their hands still intertwined, they walked down the short hall and into the small dining area near the kitchen.

When they returned, they were met with worried glances from Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng.

"Ohh, are you okay, sweetie?", Sabine asked her daughter, walking up and putting her hands on her shoulders.

Marinette had a small smile on her face. "I'm fine now, thank you," she said.

"That's so strange for you to get sick like that," her mother said, worry in her voice. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were pregnant." She paused. Her eyes widened as she looked at the two young adults in front of her.

They had wide, nervous smiles on their faces as they looked back and forth between each other. Sabine looked back and forth between them and her husband, who was now also staring at the both of them.

"Um, remember that thing we came over to tell you?", Marinette asked, turning back to look at her parents.

"Surprise!", Adrien said, throwing his hands up in the air.

Without hesitation, Sabine pulled both of them into a hug. "Oh my gosh, I can't believe it!", she exclaimed. "Tom, get over here." She looked back the man, who was still trying to fix up the desserts.

"Marinette, are you for real?", he asked, his face in a shocked expression.

She bit her lip, nodding. "Yes, Papa," she said, her voice small. "I'm, I mean, we're having a baby."

His expression turned soft and she swore she saw a few tears in his eyes as he came over to join in on the hug. "Ohh I'm going to love that baby so much," he said, rubbing her back. "Congratulations you two."

"Merci, Mr. Dupain," Adrien said.

Tom laughed. "Adrien, I've told you before," he said, pulling him into a hug as well. "You can call me Tom."

"I know," he said. "Sorry about that." His grip on the young man was so right that Adrien could feel his cheeks flushing from the lack of oxygen.

Tom pulled back and put his hands on his shoulders. "Don't worry about it," he said. "Now you make sure you keep taking good care of my sweet little girl, you got it?"

Adrien smiles. "Always."

"Let me get a good look at you," Sabine said, pulling back to look at Marinette. Her pregnancy wasn't very far along yet, but a small pudge could be seen poking out of her midriff. "You look as beautiful as ever." She caressed her daughter's face, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "You'll be sure to keep us updated, right."

Marinette grabbed her hand, cupping it with hers. "Of course," she said. "You're the first people we've told, actually."

Tom was back over at the counter, putting icing on the cookies. A few of which had already made their way into Adrien's mouth. "Really?", he asked, giving him a side glare, which was returned with a shy smile on the boy's face. "I figured you two would've told Alya and Nino already."

"Oh well actually, we _did_ tell them already," Marinette said. "I meant the first _family_ members."

"Well, we're honored," Sabine said, smiling brightly. "How far along are you?"

"Twelve weeks," she said, Adrien joining back by her side. "We have an appointment tomorrow, actually."

"Bonne chance, you two," Sabine said. "Be sure to send me those pictures."

"We most definitely will," Adrien said. "I'm so excited to see them."

"I still can't believe I get to be a grand-père…", Tom said, sniffling.

Marinette frowned. "Aww, Papa," she said, walking over to him and giving him a hug. "You'll be the best grandpa ever."

He put down the icing bag and hugged her back. "I haven't been this happy since the day you got married," he said, laying his head on top of hers. "I can't even tell you how happy I am for you and Adrien."

Marinette felt her heart swell in her chest as she hugged her father. She took a quick glance at Adrien, who was smiling brightly across his rosy cheeks. She knew from the start that her parents would be more than happy and supportive, but hearing it always made her feel so loved. "Merci beaucoup, Papa," she said. "We've been dying to tell you guys, too."

Adrien reached for another cookie, but hesitated at the thought of his hand being swatted at by Mr. Dupain.

Tom noticed this and laughed. "Go on, son," he said, releasing Marinette so that he could grab the tray. "You two eat as many as you like." He turned to his daughter. "Especially you, young lady. You've got a baby to feed in there." He rubbed her belly wish his hand, causing her to giggle.

"Don't mind if I do," she said, grabbing a cookie. Her mouth salivated as the taste of sweet cinnamon graced her taste buds.

"These are your best ones yet," Adrien said, wiping crumbs from his face. "Can we take some for the road?"

"Absolutely," Tom said. "In fact…" He reached for the cabinets on the bottom of the island and pulled out two bags of cookies. "I'm already way ahead of you."

Marinette's eyes lit up. "Oh my gosh," she said. "You're the best, Papa."

"I can't have you or Adrien or now, the baby, going without my delicious baked goods," he said.

Adrien pulled his phone out of his pocket, turning to Marinette. "It's getting a bit late," he said. "And your appointment is early in the morning."

"He's right," she said, looking at her parents. "I really wish we could stay longer."

Her mother gave her a kiss on the forehead. "We understand why you have to go so soon," she said. "You have someone else to think about now." She put a hand on Marinette's midriff.

"We'll be sure to let you guys know how it went," Adrien said, standing up from the stool. "Come on, Marinette." He grabbed her hand, lacing their fingers together as they began walking towards the door. "Bye Sabine, bye Tom." He waves back at them.

"Bye Mom, bye Papa," she said, waving at them. "It was good to see you guys."

"You know you two are _always_ welcome here," her father said. "Take care, drive safe."

"We will, I promise," Adrien said, closing the door behind him. "That went very well didn't it?" He turned to his wife.

"As expected," she said, giggling. "I knew they'd take it more than well enough." She smirked at him. "When do we tell _your_ parents, though."

He laughed. "Whenever he and Nathalie get back from their 'business trip'," he said. "What a time for us to find out, huh?"

"Still can't believe that's what they're calling their honeymoon," she said, throwing her head back to laugh. "I'm sure they'll be happy too, though."

"I know they will be," he said. "I'm sure of it."

They continued walking down the stairs towards their car, when Marinette grabbed his arm. "Hey, I need to tell you something," she said.

He raised a brow. "What is it?"

She stood on her toes and pecked his lips. "I love you," she said, a toothy grin on her face. Even after knowing him for so many years, the nervousness she used to feel in telling him those words could still be felt in the back of her mind.

Adrien returned her show of affection, kissing her a bit longer. "I love you, too," he brought her hand up to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles. "My lady."

She giggled and poked his nose. "Silly kitty."

* * *

Marinette stood over the sink as she brushed her teeth. The sounds of the shower behind her soothed her ears and the smells of her husband's shampoo filled her nose. She used a cloth to wipe the fresh steam from the mirror in front of her, making it so she could see Adrien's outline through the curtain.

"Tell me again what Alya said?", Adrien said from inside the shower.

She spit some toothpaste in the sink. "She's already planning her baby shower," she said, wiping her mouth. "It's next weekend and she said you're definitely invited too."

"I figured," he said, turning the shower off. "Got any presents in mind yet?"

Marinette rinsed her toothbrush off and put it into the holder sitting on the counter. "Not yet, twins definitely deserve something very special," she said, tapping her chin with a finger.

Adrien grabbed a towel from the rack and wrapped it around his waist as he stepped out of the shower. "I know you'll think of something amazing," he walked up next to her and quickly kissed the top of her hair. "Isn't it kind of funny that you're both pregnant at the same time?"

She looked down at her small bump. "Yeah, we talked about it all day whenever I told her," she said. "Our babies will only be a few months apart, how exciting is that?"

He smiled, looking at the both of them in the mirror. "Our high school selves definitely wouldn't believe it," he said, laughing a bit. "What do you think our fans will think? Should we tell the city that Ladybug is pregnant?"

Marinette pursed her lips, pondering his question. She knew from the beginning that they would eventually have to give an explanation, especially once she got further along in her pregnancy. Hawk Moth had been particularly quiet in recent months, leaving the both of them few reasons to transform into their alter egos. Aside from occasional patrols and public appearances, it had become a rare occasion.

"I think we should wait a bit longer for that. Hawk Moth hasn't akumatized anyone in months, so there's not really been much reason for me to actually _be_ Ladybug," she said, turning to him. "With our luck, I could go through the whole pregnancy and give birth without anyone ever knowing that Ladybug and Chat Noir have a child."

"Except Alya and Nino, of course," he said.

"Yes, obviously," she said. "But I think it's still too early for the whole city to know. I mean, we don't _have_ to tell them."

"You're right," Adrien said, running his fingers through his wet hair. "It's just something I've been thinking about a bit lately."

"It's crossed my mind, too, actually," she said. "No sense in worrying about it right now, though." She held a hand up to her mouth as she yawned.

He smirked. "Yeah, that's true," he said, walking towards the door. "I think it's time for a certain lady to get to bed."

Marinette laughed. "And a certain kitty cat too," she said. She held her stomach as she laughed. The feeling of excitement and joy inside of her made her insides feel so light. It wasn't long, though, before the feeling of joy turned into one of pain. It was as if something was tugging at her insides. Her laughter quickly turned into soft groans of pain as her grip tightened on her shirt. Her eyes closed and she felt a pair of hands grab onto her arms.

"Marinette? Are you okay?", Adrien's panic filled voiced asked her. "What's wrong?"

Her smile turned into a frown as the pain in her groin began to harden, causing her to wrap her arms around herself. "My stomach hurts," she said, opening one eye to look at him. "It might be from where I got sick earlier, that's all." She bent forward slightly, still holding onto herself.

His gaze softened as he looked at her pain stricken face. "Come on, you need to lie down," he wrapped an arm around her back, helping her stand back up straight. Together, they walked from the bathroom back into their bedroom, where she sat down gently on the side of the bed.

Adrien let go of her, stepping back to watch as she crawled up onto her pillows. Marinette curled into herself, her insides feeling as if they would bust out of her abdomen at any moment. The pain moved up to her head, causing her to close her eyes as a splitting headache danced on her temples. She brought her hands up to her head to rub them in circles.

He gently brushed a piece of hair out of her face. "I'm a bit worried now," he said. He felt a bit of sweat begin to drip down his freshly cleansed face. It was times like this where he felt so helpless. The pain of wishing he could just take everything onto himself so that he no longer had to watch her suffer. "I'll get you some medicine."

"Please do," she said. "My head feels like it's on fire." She turned over and pulled the covers down. The soft cotton felt cold against her now warm body, like a soothing hand trying to caress her. She heard footsteps leave the room as Adrien went in search of medicine.

She laid her head back into the pillow, letting the comfort wash over her. The cold, soothing feeling of the cotton sheets allowed her to relax despite the pain. The soft bed beneath her nearly swallowed her up in a cloud of comfort. She heard Adrien's footsteps coming towards the door, though the sound was muffled in her ears.

Adrien came back into the room, nearly dropping the bottle in his hand as his hands shook from the slight panic. He took a deep breath, looking back to his wife who was in dire need of what he had went in search of. "Marinette," he whispered. "I've got this for you."

She gulped, opening her eyes to look up at him. "You're the best," she managed to say.

He sat the bottle on the bedside table and helped her to sit up slowly. She grabbed three pills and stuck them in her mouth as Adrien handed her a cup of water. She sighed as she swallowed, hoping that it would ease her current state.

Adrien knelt down and kissed her cheek. "I bet you'll feel better in no time," he said, caressing her face. "You're my strong lady."

That made her smile. She admired how calm Adrien always was in any situation, even though she could tell he was trying to keep himself together as he panicked on the inside. If it weren't for him and his bold strength, she probably would've went crazy herself. "How am I so lucky to have you in life?", she said, grabbing his chin to squish his cheeks together. "You're so cute."

Even after being together for nearly ten years now, his cheeks still flushed at her compliments. Adrien was born with exceptionally rosy cheeks, but Marinette always loved how they would turn a deep shade of crimson.

"I can already tell that you're feeling better," he said, cheeks still smushed. "Can you let me go so that I can put my jammies on?"

She giggled as she let go of his cheeks. "Fine," she said, crossing her arms and speaking in a whiny tone. "But stop saying 'jammies'."

He snickered as he walked into the closet. "Never."

She shook her head, laughing to herself. She always loved it when his inner Chat Noir came out.

"Are you okay, Marinette?"

She looked over to the open drawer in the bedside table next to her, which she had recently made in a little kwami space. Tikki was poking her head out and rubbing her eyes.

"Oh, sorry if we woke you," she said. "I think I am now. The medicine is starting to settle in."

"That's good," the kwami said in a small voice. "I also hope that the baby is okay."

Marinette brought her hands down to her stomach, rubbing it gently with her fingers. "I think so," she said softly. "At least, I hope so."

"I have faith in you Marinette," Tikki said, flying up to sit on her small bump from on top of the covers. "You're a very strong person. If you can be Ladybug, you can get through anything."

Marinette felt her heart jump. "Thanks, Tikki," she said, pulling the kwami up to her cheek. "You're the best."

"Hey, what about me?", Plagg asked, poking his head out of the drawer.

"You're not the best," Adrien said, walking out the closet, now clad in his pajamas. "You're an annoyance."

Marinette and Tikki gasped while Plagg flew up next to Adrien's face. "What did you just say to me, young man?", he asked, putting his paws on his hips.

Adrien mimicked him, doing the same. The two stared at each other for a few seconds before they both busted out into laughter. "Of course you're the best, buddy," he said, cupping his hands out in front of him so that the kwami could sit down. "Need any more cheese before we head to bed?"

Plagg shook his head. "Nah, I think I'm good," he said, patting his stomach. "Especially because I don't want Sugarcube to get _too_ grossed out."

"Aww," Marinette and Adrien said together as the kwamis flew back over to their little bed.

"I guess you _can_ be kind of sweet sometimes, you stinky sock," Tikki said, lying down next to Plagg.

"I'm more than just a cheese eating maniac, ya know," Plagg said, stretching out. "But now I must sleep again."

Marinette looked down into the drawer next to her. "Good night you two," she said sweetly. She felt Adrien's weight next to her as he climbed into bed. Turning over onto her side, she found herself next to his face.

He lifted a hand, bringing it up to tuck a piece of loose hair behind her ear. "Feeling any better, my princess?", he asked, his eyes sparkling in the dim light.

The pain had mostly stopped by that time, with only a small ache still present in her groin. "Yes, I think I'm okay," she said, relaxing back into her pillow. She closed her eyes as she yawned. "Just very tired, though."

Adrien followed her lead and turned over onto his back, stretching out. "Good, I was really worried there for a moment," he said, reaching over to turn out the light. "Don't want anything to happen to you…or our little peanut."

Marinette giggled. "That's what you're calling the baby now?", she asked. Even though she couldn't see it through the darkness, she knew he had the biggest smile on his face.

"Yeah, it's cute though, right?", he asked.

"Absolutely," she said.

He laughed. "Okay, I think it's about time we settled down too," he said. He felt her roll back over onto her side, taking it as an opportunity to scoot in closer.

She felt his warm arms wrapping around her body, his hands slightly cold to the touch. He let one of his hands sit on top of her small bump, gently rubbing little circles with his fingers. "Goodnight, Adrien," she said, laying her hands on top of his. She pulled one of her legs back, placing it in the middle of his.

"Goodnight, my sweet Marinette," he whispered right next to her ear. He put his face next to her hair, inhaling the sweet scent of her shampoo as he began to fall asleep.

As Adrien began to snore behind her, Marinette found herself wandering in her thoughts. The pain from inside her stomach and in her head was mostly gone, leaving her with some relief. However, as she felt the little bump on her stomach, there was another uneasy feeling. A feeling that told her something was wrong, that she should wake up Adrien at that exact moment to express her worries. There was a part of her that told her she was letting her nerves get to her, that everything was fine. Perhaps the sickness and pain worked her nerves. She squinted her eyes shut, holding onto her love's hands even tighter. Feeling his soft breath against her neck soothed her slightly shaking body. She could faintly feel his heart beating against her back, letting her know at least he was okay in that moment.

Taking a deep breath, she finally brushed her current worries away in favor of the relief of slumber. At that moment, everything felt fine for the young couple.

* * *

The relief Marinette felt was short lived as the crippling pain returned to her abdomen. Her eyes shot awake as she curled into herself, gripping her stomach with her own arms. At that point in the night, Adrien had rolled away from her, curled up into his own little ball of warmth.

She felt the urge to cry and scream building up in her throat as the swirl of pain found its way back up to her temples. She managed to lean over to the bedside table to turn on the lamp, shedding a bit of light in the dark room.

Looking over to her sleeping husband, she knew the best approach would be to take more medicine to see if the pain dissipated again. She grabbed the bottle, but failed to grasp it due to her hands shaking uncontrollably.

"Marinette?", said a soft voice.

She looked over her shoulder at Adrien, who was still sound asleep. Her attention turned to the drawer below her. Sure enough, there was a small Tikki poking her head out. "I'm sorry, Tikki," she whispered. "Did I wake you?"

The kwami nodded. "You did, but it's okay," she said. "I keep having this feeling that something is wrong with you."

Marinette squinted her eyes as the pain rolled back to the front of her stomach. "M-Maybe you're right," she said, her voice strained. "But we're going to the doctor today, so whatever it is, I'm sure the doctor can help."

Tikki picked up the medicine bottle, placing it in her charge's hand. "Here, you need this," she said.

The girl calmed herself, taking a deep breath in order to try and clear out the shakiness. She finally managed to open the bottle and retrieve two pills. Closing the bottle up and sitting it back on the table, she noticed there was no water in the cup Adrien had given her earlier. "Sorry Tikki, I need to get up for a moment."

With the medicine still in her grip, she threw the covers off of her. Sitting up felt like an eternity as the headache still blazed through her skull. She looked over to Tikki, who was giving her the biggest smile of encouragement the little kwami could manage. She braced herself for impact as she threw her legs off the side of the bed, finally letting her feet hit the floor.

Standing up was indeed a challenge as the dizziness began to take over, but nothing prepared her for the immense horror she felt once her eyes gazed upon her sheets.

On her spot of the bed laid a pool of freshly red blood that coated the crisp white sheets. Her whole body became numb and the blood drained from her face as she felt herself become as pale as those sheets. She could feel Tikki big eyes glaring at her, but nothing could remove her from her current spot. Her legs struggled to keep her upright as the numbness moved throughout her body.

Looking down at her pants, she could already feel the tears stinging at the corner of her eyes. Just like the sheets before her, her pink pants had become stained with a fresh coat of red.

The medicine she gripped in her hand fell to the floor as her hand gave out. Her voice failed her as she tried to call out for help. "T-Tikki…"

The kwami heard her charge's strained call and flew up next to her. "Everything will be okay, Marinette," she said, trying to calm the young woman.

Marinette knew her kwami's words were in vain as she could feel the tears rolling down her cheeks. "N-No, something is definitely wrong," she said, her voice hoarse. She looked over to the other side of the bed, still unable to move from where she stood. "A-A…Adri…" She let herself fall to the floor, gripping her stomach as the pain began to flow from within.

Tikki looked upon her distressed charge, determined to help her where she currently failed. Flying over to where he laid, Tikki sat on Adrien's face, jumping up and down in an effort to wake him up.

Her efforts did not go in vain as he slowly began to wake up. "Wha…?", he said in a dazed voice.

Tikki jumped off of him, flying close to his face. "Sorry to wake you, Adrien," she said, her voice slightly louder. "But Marinette is having a problem."

Without hesitation, he turned over to look at the spot next to him. His eyes grew wide as he, too, noticed the large pool of blood next to him. "The hell happened?!", he said, throwing the covers off of himself.

"Adrien…", Marinette's soft voice called from the floor on the other side of their bed.

His feet slammed on the floor as he stood up, running to her side. "Marinette, what's wrong?", he said in a panicked voice.

She grabbed his hand, revealing her tear streaked face as she turned to look at him. "Adrien…I-I started bleeding and-and…" A soft sob escaped her lips as she tried to gather herself.

He helped her stand up and she immediately leaned into him. "It's okay, I've got you," he said, reassuringly.

"We need to go to the hospital," she said, finally able to gather her words. "I think something is wrong with the baby."

Before she could say anything else, Adrien had sat her down on the bed and was gently slipping her shoes onto her feet. Both Tikki and Plagg were now fully awake, their small faces looking worriedly as their charges prepared to leave in the middle of the night.

Adrien could feel himself panicking on the inside, the feeling of wanting to bawl slowly making a knot in his throat. He tried his best to keep his composure as to not worry Marinette any further and continued to dress himself.

He threw a few things in a bag and slipped his shoes onto his feet. "Come on, let's go," he said. Before she could object, he had grabbed her underneath her legs and back to pick her up bridal style. He looked to the two kwamis hovering just above the table. "You guys can come too, just stay hidden, okay?"

They nodded and flew inside of the bag that he was carrying on his shoulder. Adrien walked as fast as he could out into the corridor that led outside. At that point, he put Marinette down in front of the door, allowing her to slip outside on her own.

He reached for the car keys hanging up on the wall, then slipped outside and locked the door behind him. When he reached the car, he unlocked the passenger door to let Marinette inside.

She sat down on the cold seat, not even thinking about the current state of her pants. Adrien slipped into the driver's seat next to her, calming her nerves just a bit.

Once he had started the car and pulled out of the driveway, he grabbed one of her hands. Marinette sniffled; the shock of the moment mixed with the pain still causing her body to shake as tears continued to roll down her cheeks.

He brought their intertwined hands up to his lips and gave them a kiss. "Whatever is happening right now," he said, his voice shaking. "I know we'll get through it, my lady."

She swore she saw a tear run down his own cheek as he spoke. "I hope so, Chaton," was the last thing she said before the knot returned to her throat.


	2. An Angel is Born

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I am back with chapter 2! Also, I have since decided that this story may end up being a lot longer than I originally anticipated; for the simple fact that I just have SOOOO many ideas for it! Anyway, enjoy!

"Hello, you have reached the American Hospital of Paris, my name is Sabrina, how may I help you?"

The sounds in emergency room were so familiar to her ears that she was able to drown them out with no issue. The sounds of beeping machines, the ambulances blaring outside, the occasional cry of a sick child, it was an everyday thing.

Though what she didn't expect was to hear a familiar voice rushing in through the doors.

"Can you help us, please?"

"Yes, yes, just go up to the front desk."

Sabrina heard footsteps approaching her spot at the front desk. "Yes, sounds like an infection, I recommend coming in to see a doctor as soon as possible," she said into the phone. "Okay, sounds good, bye-bye."

She hung up the phone and turned around. Standing in front of her was a young man and woman, about her age. Their eyes made them look as though they hadn't slept in days. "How may I help you guys?"

Marinette blinked when she spoke. "S-Sabrina? Is that you?", she asked.

The nurse looked at her, squinting her eyes. "Oh! Marinette?", she asked, looking back and forth between them. "And Adrien, of course."

Adrien nodded rapidly. "Yeah, yeah it's us," he said, a hint of panic in his voice. "Can we please get some help?"

Sabrina's demeanor changed almost immediately, remembering where she was. "Oh, yes, yes," she grabbed a clipboard from underneath the desk and handed it to him. "What seems to be the problem?"

The couple looked at each other, as if asking the other to speak. Marinette picked up first. "Well I um, I'm pregnant," she said. "But something is definitely wrong."

Sabrina's smile turned into a frown when she heard those words. "Oh goodness," she looked down and looked at the blood stain on the front of Marinette's pants. She also noticed that Adrien was holding onto her, keeping her steady. "We have some wheelchairs over there, hang on."

She walked out from behind the desk and brought over a wheelchair, offering Marinette to sit down. Once they were back at the desk, she spoke. "Okay Adrien, I just need you to fill that out and someone will call you back shortly, okay?"

He shook his head. "But she's bleeding, can't we go back now?", he said, raising his voice a little. He felt Marinette grab his arm.

"Adrien, it's okay," she said soothingly.

Sabrina took note of his demeanor and nodded. "I will go put in word to the doctors that this is a more serious emergency," she said. "It should only be a few more minutes."

"Thank you so much, Sabrina," Marinette said, her face lighting up just a little.

"It's no problem at all," she said. "Anything for two of my favorite former classmates."

As Sabrina walked off, Adrien wheeled Marinette over to the waiting room section, sitting down and looking at the paper in front of him. "Do you feel well enough to fill this out?"

She could still feel her body shaking, the shock slowly wearing off as she began to calm down. "Y-Yeah I think I can," she said, grabbing it from him. She looked at the paper in front of her. She had filled out these types of forms before, but her mind just couldn't focus. It seemed so tedious in that moment.

Adrien found himself looking off into space as his mind kept going back to what had transpired less than half an hour ago. Marinette's quiet screams of his name, the visible shaking, the blood covered sheets. It was all too surreal.

"Are you okay, Adrien?", her soft voice called out to him.

He looked at her, seeing her worried expression. He hadn't yet noticed that he was now shaking as well. "If you want the truth," he began, his voice soft. "Then no, I'm not."

She put a hand on top of his. "Me either," she said. "Let's just hope that everything will be fine." Her words felt fake as she could feel deep within her that it was actually a lie.

"Okay guys," a voice said.

They looked up to see Sabrina standing in front of them. "Come with me," she said, grabbing the clipboard from Marinette.

Adrien stood up, grabbing the handles of the wheelchair as they followed her down the halls. The eery silence beckoned him to speak. "So um, Sabrina," he began. "How has Chloé been?"

"As you'd expect," she answered. "Ever since her father passed down the hotel to her, she's become even more extravagant than ever."

Marinette was glad neither of them could see her roll her eyes. "Of course," she said. "Glad to know she's doing well, though."

"Yes, it is," Adrien said. "Haven't heard from her much lately."

"I'll talk to her about that," Sabrina said. "Anyway, I hope everything is fine with you two. I will keep the both of you and your little baby in my thoughts." She stopped in front of a room, gesturing for them to go inside.

Marinette grabbed her hand. "Thank you so much, Sabrina," she said.

Sabrina squeezed her hand. Her face softened as she looked at her. For all the time she had known Marinette, she didn't think she had ever seen such a distraught face behind her bright smile. Even Adrien, who was almost always a symbol of perfection, had the face of horror written all over him. "It's my pleasure," she said. "I'll be by to check up on you two later."

As she walked away, Adrien wheeled Marinette into the room and helped her lay across the examination table.

The room was small and cold. It was the middle of the night, so the room seemed almost as dim as the night sky.

He pulled up a chair and sat next to her, immediately grabbing her hand. He could hear her breathing, her voice shaky as she let out a few breaths. "Try to stay calm, my lady," he said, reassuringly. "The doctor will be here soon."

Marinette could feel more tears poking at the corners of her eyes. "I-I can't," she said, her voice almost breaking. "I'm so scared, Adrien."

Hearing her voice in that tone was enough to make his heart hurt. "I'm scared, too," he admitted. "But we need to wait and see what the doctor says, okay?"

She sniffled. "I suppose you're right," she said. "Thank you for always being here for me. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Adrien stood up and gave her a hug. "You know I'll _always_ be here for you, no matter what," he said, giving her a kiss on the forehead. "I love you so, so much."

"I love you too," she said. Her hand flew to her stomach as the pain came back once again. This time it spread to her groin and her legs, feeling an intense heat that made her groan loudly.

Adrien let go of her and stepped back a bit. "Hang on, I'll go find someone," he said, leaving the room.

His footsteps became a distant sound to her ears as he exited the room, her sense of protection gone almost immediately. She took deep breaths to try and calm her screaming stomach.

_Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale_

It was of no use, nothing could clear her mind at that moment. All she could think about was her baby, her little peanut.

"Remember what Adrien said, Marinette," said a soft voice.

She opened her eyes and looked to her left to see Tikki sticking her head out of Adrien's bag. "Tikki, you need to be hiding," she managed to say as the pain finally began to dissipate.

"I know," said the kwami. "But Plagg and I are just worried, that's all."

"I know you guys are," Marinette said, a small smile forming on her face. "But Adrien could come back at my moment with the doctor."

"Understood," Tikki said. "We'll just be in here listening." She slid back down into the bag, taking a spot next to Plagg.

Marinette turned her attention to the door as Adrien stood in the doorway, hands on his knees as he was panting. "Did you run?", she asked, looking him up and down.

"Maybe just a bit," he said, breathing heavily. "Sorry, but I did track down a doctor."

She sighed, shaking her head slightly at her husband's shenanigans. "Sit down over here, we don't need _you_ passing out too," she said, pointing to the chair next to her.

He went and returned to his seat next to her, just as a doctor walked into the room.

"Hello, is this Marinette Dupain-Agreste?", her voice asked as she looked at a clipboard in front of her.

"That would be me, yes," Marinette answered. "And this is Adrien, my husband."

The doctor shut the door behind her, brightening the lights in the room. "I'm Doctor Laurent, nice to meet you both," she said, walking over to them. "Now according to your sheet, it says that you're pregnant, correct?"

Marinette nodded.

"And how far along are you?"

"Twelve weeks, almost thirteen," she answered. "I'm supposed to have an appointment later this morning."

"Okay, I see," the doctor said, taking note of her words. "And it appears you've been bleeding and having abdominal pain as well?"

"That is correct," Marinette said. "Also these splitting headaches."

"Alright, well, I think our first course of action would be to do an ultrasound," said Dr. Laurent. She dimmed the lights once again and brought over a monitor. "This will be a little cold, so be warned."

Marinette lifted up her shirt to reveal her small bump. The doctor squirted some jelly onto it, making her jump slightly. She felt Adrien squeeze her hand.

"I told ya," said Dr. Laurent, smiling at her. "Alright, let's check things out." She turned on the monitor, taking out the probe. Once she put it onto Marinette's stomach, a picture of her uterus appeared on the screen.

Adrien and Marinette watched as the doctor moved the probe around, the anxiety building up as they noticed the blank expression on her face. Without warning, she moved the monitor away from their view and typed something on the keyboard.

The couple looked at each other, as if they knew their worst fears were being confirmed. Marinette could already feel the tears returning to her eyes, prompting Adrien to wipe them away with his thumb.

Doctor Laurent took the probe away, turning off the monitor. She pulled it back over near the door, where she then turned the lights back on. Walking back over to the couple, she grabbed a small towel to wipe off Marinette's stomach. She then took a seat on the other side of her.

"I'm sad to say that it's just as I suspected," she said. "You're having a miscarriage. The pain and bleeding you've been experiencing is your body trying to expel the pregnancy."

Marinette gasped for breath, the tears coming down her cheeks like an unstoppable force. "No…no…," she said, her voice shaking. "How can this happen?" She turned to look at Adrien, who also had very noticeable tears coming down his own cheeks.

"I'm so sorry," the doctor told them. "I'll give you two a minute alone while I go check on other patients."

As soon as she had left and closed the door behind her, the dam broke. Marinette found herself with Adrien's arms wrapped around her as she began to sob. His shirt became wet with her tears as he began rubbing circles on her back.

"Why…why…", she repeated, burying her face deeper into Adrien's shirt. "Everything was fine yesterday, a-and now our baby… _is gone_."

Adrien wanted to speak, he wanted to tell her that everything would be okay. Nothing he had ever learnt in his life could tell him how to act in this situation. He had fought dozens of nasty supervillains, who had turned out to be regular people with their own personal problems. But this was absolutely nothing compared to any of that.

All he knew in that moment was that he needed to be there for Marinette. "Shhh, it's okay," he tried to soothe her. "We'll get through this, I know we will." He lifted up his glasses to wipe his own eyes as he spoke.

Marinette knew deep within her that what Adrien said was right. They had been through so much together. They save Paris together all the time. But the pain she felt in that moment created such a strong hole in her chest that she pushed all of it to the back of her mind. "What did I do wrong?", she asked, swallowing the lump in her throat. "I've done everything I was supposed to, what did I do, Adrien?"

Adrien leaned back to look at her, brushing the strands of loose hair out of her red, puffy face. "You didn't do anything wrong, ma chérie," he said, trying to reassure her. "Sometimes these things just happen and we'll never know why."

Marinette laid her head back on the table, covering her face with her hands. How would Paris feel if they knew what she was going through in that current moment? How could she be Ladybug if she couldn't even save her own baby? She could hear Adrien's soothing words in her ears as he began to play with her loose hair.

"Just take deep breaths," he said in a soft voice. "You'll make yourself sick." The pain he felt in that moment was a familiar one. The thoughts of feeling useless and feeling as though he could've done something to prevent it did run through his mind briefly. But he decided that to keep himself sane in that moment, he needed to make sure Marinette calmed down.

She began to take deep breaths in and out, squeezing Adrien's hand as his other one wiped tears from her cheeks. "Thank you, Adrien," she managed to say. She returned the favor by wiping tears from his cheeks as well.

He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "Anything for you, my lady," he said. "Let's wait and see what else the doctor has to say."

Marinette tried to contain herself for the moment, her body still shaking. They turned towards the door to see Doctor Laurent entering once again. "Hello there, Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Agreste," she said. "So sorry to keep you waiting, but I did discuss this with the other doctors and we think it's best if we kept Marinette a bit longer. Just to make sure the bleeding doesn't get too out of hand."

Marinette bit her lip. "Am I going to be okay?", she asked, her voice small.

"I definitely think so," the doctor said, a small smile on her face. "I'll get you a gown and then I'll take you down to your room so we can get you admitted."

Marinette looked to Adrien, who didn't hesitate to grab her and help her sit down gently in the wheelchair. They followed Doctor Laurent, who led them into an elevator that took them to another part of the hospital. She led them down a long hallway before stopped in front of a room.

"Here ya go," she said, gesturing for them to go inside. "Feel free to make yourselves at home for now."

They went inside, examining the room thoroughly. It was a decent sized room with only one bed, meaning Marinette would be the only patient inside of it. There was a futon on the other side of the room along with a television in the very front. Off to the side was a small bathroom.

"Thank you," Marinette said, turning her head to look at her.

"It's my pleasure," she answered back sweetly. "It's what I'm here for, after all." She closed the door behind her, leaving the couple alone once again.

Marinette began to stand up. "Adrien, can you please help me to the bathroom?", she asked.

"Yes of course," he said, going to stand in front of her. He wrapped his arm around her back, helping her walk the short distance to the bathroom. Once inside, she grabbed ahold of the counter. "You can take it from here, right Milady?" He handed her the hospital gown as well.

She nodded, grabbing the gown from him. "Yeah I'll be fine," she said, closing the door.

While she took care of business, Adrien took it upon himself to put their things in the room. He walked around, admiring the coziness of the room. That wouldn't usually be an adjective one would use to describe such a place, but it did feel very homey. Taking out his phone, he checked the time.

5:45am.

He sat down on the futon, feeling the weight of his own body begging for him to lie down. His eyes were sore and red from both lack of sleep and the crying, with more tears still begging to come out at any moment.

In an effort to help calm his nerves a bit more, he dialed a familiar number.

* * *

Nathalie yawned as she opened her eyes, wiping the dried pieces of sleep from the corners. She looked to her right to see Gabriel still sound asleep, his fingers tangled loosely in her hair. The smells of the beach and ocean hair filled her nose as the breeze blew in softly from the window.

She turned over slightly, reaching for her phone on the table next to her. Her eyes widened as she looked at the screen.

_Two missed calls from Adrien._

At that moment, she knew something was off. Just before they left, Adrien had promised that he wouldn't disturb them unless it was an absolute emergency. She moved Gabriel's hand away from her head so that she could sit up as she dialed the number back.

"Hello? Adrien?", she said into the phone as soon as he picked up. "No, no you're not bothering me at all." She noticed the slight squeak in his voice as he spoke. "Sweetheart, what's the matter? Are you crying?" Her heart sank into her chest as he spoke the next sentence. "Oh…oh my goodness. How are you two hanging in there?"

Gabriel began to stir as she talked on the phone, listening in to her side of the conversation.

"I will make sure your father and I are on the next flight back to Paris," she continued. "No, you're not ruining our vacation, not at all. Don't apologize, Adrien, you and Marinette need us right now and that's what's important." Her voice became sterner as she spoke. "I'll let you know when we arrive to the airport, don't worry about a thing. Be there for Marinette right now. She needs you, Adrien."

Gabriel's eyes widened, along with his curiosity as he listened to her words. What on earth could they be talking about?

"I will, we both will, I promise," she said, her own voice beginning to crack. "I love you Adrien, we'll see you as soon as we can. Bye-bye."

She hit the end button on her phone and sat it back on the table. Feeling Gabriel's hand on her shoulder, she turned to him.

"Nathalie, what on earth just happened?", he asked, raising his voice a little. "What's so important that we need to leave?"

She took a deep breath, trying to push the urge to cry into the back of her throat for a moment. "It was Adrien, he called me from the hospital," she said.

He sat up. "Adrien? Why? What happened to my son?", he asked, his voice becoming urgent.

She shook her head. "It's not him, it's…it's Marinette," she said. She took off her glasses to wipe her eyes. "She was pregnant and they lost the baby."

Gabriel sat straight up, his mouth agape. "They…what?", he said, taking a moment to process her words. Surely if his son and daughter-in-law were expecting a baby, they would've told him, right? "How can this be?"

"I think we should ask questions later and focus on the task at hand," Nathalie said, throwing the covers off of herself. "We need to get back to Paris as soon as possible."

Before she got out of bed, Gabriel grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him. "Have I ever told you that you look very beautiful when you're so determined?", he said, his voice becoming alluring. He leaned forward and kissed her lips, trying to savor their last few moments together.

She put her hands on his cheeks, pushing herself deeper into the kiss. Once they released, she leaned her forehead against his. "No, but I appreciate it," she said. "And while it is very tempting to want to lie here in bed with you and let you play with my hair a bit longer, we have some children who need us."

Gabriel nodded. "Understood," he said. "How about you schedule our flight while I pack our things?" She accepted the order and picked up her phone once again. "Oh, and if they refuse, tell them who I am and that it is a dire emergency."

"Yes, sir," she said, eyes widening when she realized what she had said. "I mean, yes, honey." They exchanged a smile as he got up to begin collecting their luggage.

Nathalie dialed the number to the airport and began speaking as soon as someone picked up on the other line. "Hello, my name is Nathalie Sancœur-Agreste, I need to book the next available flight to Paris, France immediately."

He could hear her speaking into the phone behind him, but all of her words were drowned out by his thoughts. Adrien was going to be a father, but he didn't bother telling him? He knew in the back of his mind that he definitely would have told him sooner or later, but the fact he didn't know and to hear that the baby is now gone was…very disheartening.

Gabriel began throwing their clothes into their suitcases, making sure not to leave anything. As he did so, he could feel his body slowly becoming weaker as it told him to sit back down.

Nathalie hung up the phone, sitting it down on the table. "You will be happy to know that I had no trouble getting us tickets," she said. "We leave in-" She turned around, noticing that he was sitting on the edge of the bed. His body was slumped over as he held his head in his hands.

She crawled across the bed, gently wrapping her arms across the back of his neck as she laid her head on top of his.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "They don't deserve this," he said, his voice shaking slightly as he felt tears poking at the corners of his eyes.

"No, they don't," Nathalie said. "But they need all the support right now." She tightened her grip on him as she heard him begin to cry softly.

"I won't let Adrien be alone in this," he said, wiping his eyes. "Not like last time."

* * *

Adrien dialed the number a couple of times and there was no answer. He slumped over a bit, breathing deeply in an effort to keep his nerves together.

Just when he thought it was all a futile attempt, his phone rang. He answered it and immediately heard Nathalie's voice on other side. "Hey Nathalie, I'm so sorry to bother you so early," he said, trying to keep his voice from breaking. He knew he couldn't hide anything from her, so it wasn't surprising that she noticed the tone in his voice. The well in his eyes built up as he finally let the tears fall. "Y-Yes, yes I am. Marinette and I we…we're in the hospital. Long story short, she was pregnant and…" his voice trailed off as he let out a sob. "We lost the baby."

He listened to her soothing voice through the phone as he tried to calm his breathing. "We're okay for now, I think. Marinette is in the bathroom trying to clean herself up," he said, wiping his eyes beneath his glasses. "We're both a bit shaken up."

His mouth opened a bit as she continued to speak. "No, no you don't need to do that," he said. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to ruin your vacation."

He listened to her words and took them directly to his heart. He knew that what she was saying was right and it did make him feel a little better. "You're right, Nathalie. Marinette needs me and I'll do whatever it takes to make sure she's happy," he said, feeling a beam of confidence hit his chest. "Please be safe, both of you."

"I love you, too," he said, listening to her say her farewells before hanging up the phone. He sighed before throwing his head back a bit. The feeling of heaviness was still present in his chest, but his mind just kept going back to Marinette. The girl he loved more than anything and to see her suffering hurt his heart just as much.

"Adrien!"

It was as if fate had been listening as he heard her call his name. "What is it, my love?", he asked, raising his voice.

"C-Can you come here? Please?", she asked from the bathroom.

Taking note of the urgency in her voice, he stood up and nearly ran over to the bathroom. He almost stumbled on his feet as he reached the door. "I'm here," he said, swinging the door open. "What did you…?" The first thing he noticed was Marinette hunched over near the toilet.

His voice trailed off as he watched her put her hand up to her mouth, her eyes closing as tears began to stream down her face. He noticed that her free hand was on the handle of the toilet, leading his eyes to the fresh streaks of blood that covered the seat. "Marinette?", he spoke again softly.

She responded by turning her head to him slowly, her body still refusing to stand up straight. "Adrien..I…I…", the lump she felt in her throat prevented her from speaking. "Help me."

Without hesitation, he ran to her side and helped her stand up by wrapping his arms around her. He took her in an embrace, the first one they'd had in a few hours. She wrapped her arms around his chest and laid her head on his shoulder. "I saw it," she said, her voice squeaking as she let out a sob. "I saw it, I saw everything and-and I wish I hadn't."

Adrien froze when he realized what she meant. "You mean, you saw…", he gulped before he said the next sentence. "You saw our little peanut?"

Marinette dug her face into his shirt, wetting it with her tears. "Yes, yes I did!", she said, her crying becoming louder. "I flushed it before you came in here because…because…" She grabbed his cheek with one of her hands and looked into his eyes. "It was something that I never, ever wanted to see in my entire life, so I knew you wouldn't want to either."

He placed a hand on the back of her head and pulled her close to him once again. His fingers played with the strands of her messy, sweaty hair as she continued to cry on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry that this is happening right now, Marinette," he said, caressing her hair. "But I can promise you one thing." He pulled back and looked at her again. "As long as we have each other, we'll be okay."

He brushed a few loose strands of hair from her sweaty forehead and pressed his gentle lips against it. She gently caressed his cheek with her hand. "I know," she said softly. "This is very much like a nightmare that I wish I could wake up from."

They embraced each other once again, standing there listening to each other's breathing. Marinette loosened her grip on Adrien as she closed her eyes, snuggling deeper into his shoulder.

"I think someone is sleepy," he said, gently rocking them both back and forth. "What does my lady think about her kitty taking her to bed?"

She sniffled. "She would like that very much," she said, her voice becoming groggy.

Adrien used his thumb to wipe her eyes as she yawned. He threw his hands underneath her legs, picking her up bridal style. As if on instinct, Marinette snuggled into his chest and he swore he saw a little smile on her face.

He walked the few feet to the hospital bed in the middle of the room and laid her down gently. Sabrina had left a few thick blankets for them to use so that neither of them would get cold while they stayed overnight.

Marinette's body instantly relaxed as she laid her head on the pillow, sighing as he threw a blanket over her. "Are you comfortable enough yet?"

"Mhmm," she mumbled.

Just before Adrien was about to kiss her goodnight, Sabrina stuck her head in the door. "Hey, you two," she said, walking into the room. "Everything okay?"

"We're fine now," he answered, pulling up a chair next to Marinette. "She's very tired."

Sabrina looked at Marinette's sleeping form before her. "Aww," she said. "Well, I hate to disrupt her sleep, but I do need to put her on an IV and hook her up to the heart monitor. We need to monitor her vitals."

"Go right ahead," he said, gesturing for her to come closer.

"Very well," she pulled out a needle from the kit she was holding and gently grabbed Marinette's wrist. Sticking the needle slowly into the top of her hand made the girl wince slightly, but she remained calm. "That was easy." Once she put a piece of cotton and tape on top of the needle, she clipped her finger to the heart monitor. "There, all done."

"She hardly even noticed," Adrien said, looking to Marinette in amazement.

"She did very well. That IV also has some pain medication in it," Sabrina said. Her mouth popped open and she jumped a little. "Oh! Before I forget…" she dug into the pocket of her scrubs and pulled out a piece of cloth. "Tell Marinette that she can wear these."

Adrien grabbed them from her, examining them. "What are they?", he asked, curiously.

"They're basically disposable panties," she explained. "Kind of like a diaper, but for blood and other fluids. We usually give them to patients who have just given birth and so it's a bit of the same concept here."

He gave her a little smile and laid them on the table next to him. "Thank you, Sabrina," he said. "Not just for these, but for everything. I mean it."

The girl blushed a little. "Anything for you, Adrien," she said. "And Marinette too, of course." She flashed him a small smile before heading towards the door. "If she needs anything, just tell her to hit the call button."

"Will do, thanks again!", they waved at each other as she left the room, closing the door behind her.

Adrien was now left alone to think about everything that had happened in such a short amount of time. He looked at his beautiful wife before him as she slept peacefully. The way that strands of loose hair covered her face, the way her nose wrinkled every once in awhile, the way that her light freckles could be seen when the light hit them just right.

He used his hand to caress her hair, watching as she reacted to his touch. "Je t'aime, Marinette," he whispered. He leaned forward slightly and placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

Her head turned in his direction and she smiled a little. Adrien wished that he could stay like that with her all day. He would do anything to make sure she was comfortable, that she wasn't in pain. Knowing what she had to endure that day and that it would continue for longer made his heart ache.

He felt his own eyelids tugging at each other as he yawned. He grabbed a blanket from the end of the bed and walked back over to the futon where he had been sitting not long ago. Kicking off his shoes, he laid across the futon and stretched his arms out as he threw the blanket across himself.

After what felt like days instead of hours, he finally felt himself relax a bit as he sank into the plush furniture beneath him. Taking off his glasses, he laid them on the windowsill next to him and flipped off the light switch. "Goodnight, Marinette," he whispered before sinking further into the covers.

At that moment, something in his body just…broke. The tears came rushing out as soft sobs escaped his mouth. Everything he had tried so hard to hold in had reached its breaking point. He turned over onto his side, looking out the window as his tears streamed onto his pillow. The aching pain he felt in his heart was stronger than ever and there was no denying it any longer.

He sniffled. "Listen to yourself, Adrien," he whispered to himself. "You remember what they told you don't you? You need to be strong for Marinette. You can't cry like this." He sighed and wiped his eyes as he tried to calm his breathing.

It wasn't long before he fell asleep, his soft cries lulling him as he began to snore.

Unbeknownst to him; however, there was another listener in the room. One whose heart also shared the same aching pain, but now perhaps, for a different reason.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we're getting into the good stuff...but do not be fooled, we have only scratched the surface! By the way, did y'all see that COVID-19 PSA that they released the other day?! So much Adrienette...my heart exploded. Until next time!


	3. Hospital Daze

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry, I know it's been a few weeks. I honestly don't really have a consistent update schedule for this story because well, I work four days a week and sometimes I just don't feel like writing lol. I also have to fight with motivation sometimes, so there's that too. Anyway, enjoy!

When Marinette awoke, there was a brief moment where she had forgotten where she was. All of the craziness of the recent night slipped her mind. It wasn't long before it all came flooding back.

The pain, the fainting feeling, the blood, the tears.

This time; however, her mind did not correspond with her body. She turned her head and looked at the window on the other side of the room.

The sun was shining brightly, though it was dimmed from the dark curtains that had been closed while they slept. Birds could be heard chirping outside along with the not so faint sound of a siren coming near.

Her eyes closed as she felt peace within her body. The shakiness in her legs was very faint and the sharp pain in her abdomen was almost absent. She noticed the IV in her hand and scratched at it.

Though she couldn't do much to ease her wandering mind, at least she could enjoy the bliss of her body not giving up on her.

Her eyes then wandered to the futon next to the window, which was currently home to her love. She always loved how peaceful he looked when he slept.

His glasses still resided next to him on windowsill, though now covered up by the curtains. His hair looked slightly unkempt as it was swept off to one side. A small trail of drool escaped his mouth as he laid on his side.

She smiled at the sight. Even if they were separated at the moment, she still loved waking up to his sweet face.

As she laid her back onto her pillow, she winced. The pain medication being pumped into her veins couldn't cure all of her ailments. That aching pain in her chest still remained. The one she faintly remembered feeling just a few hours before.

A pain that almost made her not want to look at the sleeping man close to her.

"What's wrong, Marinette?"

She looked to her purse in the chair next to her to see Tikki sitting on top of it. "It's nothing, really," she said, shaking her head.

"I've been watching you all night," the kwami said. "You never look at Adrien like that."

Marinette turned away from her. "I'm fine, trust me," she said. "I'm just shaken up still, that's all."

Tikki seemed to accept that for an answer at the moment and nodded. "Okay, I believe you," she said. "How are you feeling today?"

That one question stayed in her mind for longer than she had liked. How _was_ she feeling? There was a sudden tugging feeling coming from her chest, one that made her want to cry while simultaneously screaming out in anger. So many emotions had flooded through her in a span of less than a day.

The excitement she had experienced just the day before when she told her parents the news. It was now faded away like an old can label. That sparkling feeling she felt within her had been replaced by a much dimmer one.

The butterflies in her stomach now vanished. She never thought she'd miss such a feeling.

Tikki's question repeated itself again. _How are you feeling today?_

With a deep breath, Marinette finally answered. "I don't know," she said, answering as honestly as she possibly could.

The kwami looked up at her charge with big eyes. In the few years she's known Marinette, this was probably the lowest she has ever seen her. "It's okay," she said, flying up to sit on the girl's shoulder. "Just focus on getting better. Paris needs their Ladybug, ya know." Tikki kissed her on the cheek. "And so does Adrien."

Marinette found the strength to giggle at her kwami's sweet gesture. "Thanks, Tikki," she said. "Could you do me a favor and pass me my phone?"

Tikki nodded and flew back inside of her purse, returning with the device. Her small arms struggled to hold it up, nearly dropping it before Marinette grabbed it.

"Thank you again," she said, a small smile on her face. Marinette pushed the button to unlock the screen.

The clock read 9:27am.

Her eyes widened as the realization hit her. She was scheduled for a doctor's appointment that morning, in less than an hour as a matter of fact. She pinched the bridge of her nose, taking deep breaths as she felt the warmth of anxiety building in her chest once again.

"What's wrong, Marinette?", Tikki asked, noticing the distress in her owner.

She took another deep breath, feeling the shaky feeling returning to her lungs. "My doctor…the baby…this morning," the slight burning in her chest made it hard to speak. Closing her eyes, she took a few more deep breaths. "I…I have to call them."

"Don't force yourself, Marinette," Tikki urged. "Let Adrien do it if you're still too weak."

"But he's still asleep," she said, looking over at her sleeping husband. "What if he doesn't wake up in time."

"I'm sure the doctor will understand when he finds out why you didn't show today," said the kwami. "Just try to relax."

The anxious feeling in her chest began to subside as she listened to Tikki's words. The burning, aching feeling was still present, but now was joined with a cool, soothing feeling as well. "You're right," Marinette said, putting her phone down in her lap. The doctor was of least priority to her at that point. Although, she knew that she would still have to break the news to a few certain people. "I think I should call my parents at least." She turned to Tikki. "What do you think?"

"They love you so much, Marinette," Tikki said. "I know how excited they were yesterday for you and Adrien." Her voice began to break off a bit. "But they definitely need to know where you are."

Marinette fumbled with her phone in her lap, her lips threatening to tremble at any moment. She could already feel the corners of her eyes itching as brand new tears tried to break out.

Her mind flashed back to the evening before. The smiles on their faces when they discovered that they would be grandparents meant everything to her. The immense support that her parents had for her and Adrien was enough to make her heart swell a hundred times over.

The pain she currently felt in her chest was something she wouldn't wish on anyone. How could she do that to her own parents?

"Marinette…", Tikki sat down on her owner's shoulder, readying herself to catch any fallen tears.

The girl shook her head. "I can't do this, Tikki," she said, her voice beginning to break. "I know they'll be so worried about me and about Adrien and just…everything." She closed her eyes as the hot tears began to fall onto her cold cheeks.

The kwami snuggled up to Marinette's cheek, wiping away tears as they fell from the corner of her eye. "I know it hurts," she said in a soft voice. "But I think it would be worse if they _didn't_ know."

Marinette sniffled, wiping her eyes as she took in Tikki's words. Taking a deep breath, she picked up her phone with shaky hands. Once it was unlocked, she opened her contacts to find the number she was looking for. Her breath hitched as she glanced at her mother's name on the screen. She hit the "call" button and her hands shook as she brought the phone up to her ear.

It rang a couple of times before she heard her mother's sweet voice on the other end. " _Marinette? Hello?_ "

"Hi Mama," she said, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

" _What are you up to today? How did the appointment go?_ "

Marinette gulped, feeling the lump in her throat return. "I-I didn't go to the doctor today," she said. Despite her eagerness to keep herself calm; she could already feel her eyes beginning to well up again.

She could feel her mother's confusion through the phone. " _What? How come?_ ", Sabine's voice echoed through her ear. " _Is everything okay?_ "

Marinette resigned and let the dam break. "No, everything is not okay," she said, feeling her voice break. "I-I'm in the hospital because I…I…" She took a deep, shaky breath as she tried to regain her voice. "I lost the baby."

She heard what sounded like her mom almost dropping her phone, causing her to jump back a bit. " _Marinette, sweetheart, I am so, so sorry_ ," she spoke to her daughter in a soft voice. " _Is Adrien with you? How are you feeling?_ "

"Yes, he's with me. He's still asleep currently and I'm trying my best to not wake him up," she said, wiping her eyes. "I'm still bleeding, but they have me on medication so I can't feel the pain."

From the other side of the phone, she could hear her father in the background. _"Is that Marinette? Is she okay?_ "

Marinette felt her heart sink deeper into her chest. "You can tell him," she said, her voice cracking.

She heard her mother put the phone down. There was some muffled voices in the background and her heart raced in anticipation as she waited.

Suddenly, her father's voice boomed through the phone. " _Marinette, please tell me you're okay_ ," he said, his voice resounded in a panicked tone. " _All I wanna know is that you're okay_."

"Yes, Papa," she nodded her head even if he couldn't see it. "I'm hanging in there."

" _My sweet baby girl_ ," Tom said, trying to keep his voice from breaking. " _I'm going to close the bakery for the remainder of the day. This is family emergency and you need us right now_."

"You don't have to do that, Papa," Marinette insisted, even if her heart told her otherwise. "Please don't worry about me."

" _How could I not worry?! You're having a miscarriage!_ ", he raised his voice a little, resulting in his wife calling out his name. " _Sorry, honey. But I promise you, Marinette, we want to be there for you. Both you and Adrien. You mean the world to us_."

Marinette closed her eyes as she tried to hold back the tears that were stinging at her eyes. "Thank you so much, Papa. Mama too," she said, finally letting a tearful smile cross her lips. "I'll see you guys later then?"

" _Absolutely. We'll clean up and close up the bakery and then we will be there as soon as we can_ ,"Tom said. "Your mother and I love you so much."

"I love you too," she said, laying her head back. She heard stirring on the other side of the room and turned her head towards it. "I think Adrien is waking up now, au revoir."

They said their goodbyes before hanging up the phone. Nearby, Adrien began to stir on the futon. He threw the blanket off of his legs and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. She loved the way his golden locks glistened in the sunlight. The light illuminated from the window, igniting to form a beautiful golden ray on his disheveled hair.

He noticed her looking at him and the edges of his lips curled into a warm smile. "Good morning, my beautiful princess," he said, his words rolling off his tongue in a smooth voice. "How do you feel today?"

Marinette did her best to hold in a sigh. There were those words again. She had a feeling it was a question that wouldn't go away for a while. "I'm…better," she said, trying to smile a bit for him. "I'm not hurting anymore." She looked down, realizing what she had just said. "In my stomach, I mean."

Adrien felt the edges of his lips curl downward this time. He gazed upon his wife in an aura of sadness, but the same warmth still filled his heart. Standing up, he walked the few feet to where she laid in her bed. With a need to feel her warmth, he gently placed his arms around her neck and laid his head on top of hers. "That's good that the medicine is helping then," he said. He lifted his head up and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Sabrina also left these underwear for you so that you can be more comfortable." He pointed to the disposable underwear that laid on the table next to her.

Despite currently being covered by the sunshine that radiated from her love, she could still feel the dark cloud that stayed above her. Everything that had happened to mere hours ago felt like a blur; one that she didn't want to remember. Even if there was currently a wall holding up her heart, she knew it could break again at any moment. "Oh, that's so sweet of her," she said, looking up at him. "I'll have to go change into them in a bit."

All the medicine did at that moment was create a numbing sensation in the pit of her stomach, keeping her from feeling the cramps of her uterus. There was still there weakness in her legs that she had felt the night before.

"Do you need my help?", Adrien asked, preparing to pick her up if he needed to.

"I might," she said. "But I'm fine for now."

She took a closer look at him as their faces stayed close. There were noticeable red circles around his eyes, both of which could be a result of his breakdown or lack of sleep. She attributed it to both. His hair curled up in the back, while the front was a messy tuft of hair.

Reaching a hand up, she ran her fingers through his golden locks. His eyes shifted to look at her hand; his eyes closing as he felt her fingers gliding across his scalp. "What are you doing?", he asked, his voice having a hint of playfulness.

"Your hair is all messy," she said, taking her hand back. "But it's still soft."

He opened his eyes again, bringing his hands up to his hair. She was right. The pieces of hair that touched her hand as she guided it through his hair created a sensation that made her feel very satisfied. Also, yes, it was very soft. "Heh, thank you for fixing it for me, my lady," he said, giving her a wink. Adrien noticed that everything in front of him was blurry. His vision not allowing him to fully see Marinette in front of him. "Oh, let me get my glasses."

As he walked back to the side of the room to retrieve his glasses, Marinette felt a pounding in her chest. Her voice cracked a little as she called out to him. "Hey, Adrien?"

He turned around while placing his glasses perfectly on his face. "Yeah?"

She took a deep breath, feeling the anticipation rising in her chest. "How are _you_ feeling today?", she asked him. "I…know you took things pretty hard as well and you always take such good care of me so…" Her voice trailed off a bit as she looked at her lap. "I just want to know how you're feeling, too."

He stood in place with his feet feeling as though they were nailed to the ground. She was still looking away from him, but it left him with little concern. That warm, yet uneasy sensation found its way to his chest and up to his throat, where it left a knot. "I…", he found himself not being able to find the right words to describe his feeling.

There was that burning in the back of his head that told him he needed to cry. It told him to lie down and just let everything out as tears fell down to his shirt. Then there was the swelling in his heart that came back stronger every time he looked at Marinette. It was as if her aura left Adrien with a cloud of relief.

Now, to answer her question: How _did_ he feel?

With a sigh, he finally answered.

"I think I'm okay," he said. The uncertainty in his voice caused her to look at him. He hoped that she wouldn't notice the mistiness in his eyes.

"Adrien…", she started. "Are you sure?"

The voice in the back of his mind kept yelling at him to say "no". It told him to just run over to Marinette and hold her in his arms while she rubs his back. He wanted nothing more in that moment, but the tugging in his heart told him otherwise.

"Yeah, I am," he spoke. "Despite the circumstances, all I really want right now is to see you get better."

The little smile he had on his face reassured her that he was doing better than she was. Still, something inside of her heart told her that he wasn't as fine as he seemed.

That would be a bridge she'd have to cross later, though.

"I believe you," she said, laying her head back on the pillow. After a brief moment of silence, she sighed. "I um, I told my parents."

Adrien felt the need to come sit by her now, pulling up the chair he had used the previous night. "You did?", he asked, grabbing her hand. "How did that go?"

She looked down at her stomach, swallowing hard. "It was difficult," she said, feeling the itchiness in the corners of her eyes. "Just as I had thought it would be."

He squeezed her hand, noticing the same mistiness in her own eyes. His mind went back to the previous night when he had called up Nathalie. Even though he didn't talk to his father directly, he still felt the same shakiness that Marinette was probably feeling at that moment. The feeling of dread that came with it was almost too much to bear, but it had been overwhelmed by the feeling of the loss they had just suffered.

Adrien shook his head to keep his mind from going in that direction. He knew that if he went there, then it would be all downhill from there. There would be time for his own sadness later. Right now, Marinette needed him.

"But at least you did it," he reassured her, taking the opportunity to push some hair out of her face. "And I'm very proud of you for that."

Their eyes met and he finally noticed the tear streaks on her cheeks. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek, making it last a little longer than usual as his lips pressed to her warm skin.

"You're too sweet for your own good, Adrien," Marinette said, smiling a little after his kiss. "They said that they'll be here later. They have to close up the bakery."

"It'll be nice to have some company," he said, sitting back in his chair. "I um, I actually called Nathalie and Father last night too."

Marinette felt her eyes widen. "You did?", she asked, a bit surprised. "I'd ask how it went but…it was probably similar to mine."

Adrien nodded. "Yeah, Nathalie insisted that they end their 'vacation' early to come and be here with us," he explained. "I tried to object, but she wouldn't let it go."

"I think that's very sweet of them," she said. "Did you talk to your dad at all?"

He shook his head. "No, not yet," he continued. "So I have absolutely no idea what his reaction was like." His voice trailed off and he looked at the floor. "Probably not that good though."

Marinette frowned as she looked at his sad face. It had just dawned on her that they'd hadn't told his parents yet. It was all brand new news to them, and her heart ached at how they had to have been feeling at that moment. "That's right…they didn't even know that I was-", her stomach turned. "Pregnant…"

Before Adrien could reach up to comfort her, there was a knock at the door. They looked up to see Sabrina coming inside. "Hey guys," she said in a soft voice. "Did you both sleep well?"

Marinette yawned, rubbing at her slightly swollen eyes. "Kind of," she answered. "The painkillers knocked me out."

"Well, that's good that you got a bit of rest," Sabrina said walking over to her bed. "Do you need to use the restroom? We didn't bother putting in a catheter, but I can help you if you need to go."

Focusing on her body for a second, Marinette noticed the familiar sensation in her lower half. "Yeah, I think I do," she said, already beginning to throw her blanket off. "Can I also change into those disposable underwear you gave me?"

Sabrina grabbed her hands, preparing to help her up. "Absolutely," she said. "I'll also change your sheets for you too and give you more blankets if you need them."

Marinette gave her a warm smile as she gripped her hands. "Thank you, Sabrina," she said. Sabrina pulled on her gently, allowing her to sit up so that she could turn and throw her legs over the side of the bed.

Stepping back a little, Sabrina watched as Marinette dropped to the floor slowly. Her feet touched the cold tiles, causing her so shudder slightly. "There ya go," she said, still holding her hands as she tried to make she was stable. "Come on, I'll take you."

Marinette nodded, letting Sabrina guide her to the bathroom as she held her hand. "I'll be back," she said to Adrien from over her shoulder. The coldness from the floor made the bottom of her feet tingle. "Do you maybe have any socks?"

Sabrina nodded. "I do and I'll be sure to get you some," she said, smiling sweetly.

As they entered the bathroom, she closed the door behind her. Marinette let go of her hand and walked over to where the toilet was. Sabrina took it upon herself to turn around as she did her business.

"Ya know, Marinette," she began to say. "I talked to Adrien last night when you were asleep." She tried to drown out the sound of urine tinkling behind her. "I know that we haven't really spoken much since graduation a few years ago, but I still think of you and Adrien as my friends."

Marinette smiled a little as she looked over at the girl. "I still think of you as a friend, too," she said. "And I can't thank you enough for being so incredibly sweet to me." As she turned back to the front, her eyes glanced down at the panties she had pulled down to her ankles.

What was once a plain, soft pink pattern, now had spots of red spread around on the inside. She felt her stomach turn, almost enough to make her grab the garbage can next to her. "D-Did you bring those panties with you?", she asked, trying to resist the urge to vomit.

"No, but I'll go get them," Sabrina said, opening the door to go back to the room. Once outside, she walked around the corner to where the bed was, only to find Adrien staring at it intently. "Adrien?"

His body shook in surprise when she called out his name, an indication to her that he had been zoned out. He looked up at her. "Y-Yeah?"

She stepped closer, looking back and forth between him and the bed. "Is something wrong?"

He straightened up in his chair. "N-Not really, i-it's just…", he turned back to look at the bed, causing her to look also.

Covering the white sheets was yet another pool of red blood, though this one was smaller than the one they had left at home. Adrien tried to stop himself from looking intently, but it was too late. The memories of what had happened the night before quickly came rushing back into his mind. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he tried to push away the negative thoughts.

Sabrina quickly ran over to the bed and covered the sheet with the blanket. "Oh, oh I'm so sorry," she said, her face reddening a bit. She picked up the pair of underwear from the table and handed it to him. "Will you take this to Marinette then? I will gladly clean this up for her."

Adrien didn't hesitate to stand up and grab it from her. "I'd be more than happy to," he said, walking around the corner to the bathroom. As he walked inside, Marinette was still sitting on the toilet. "You rang, my lady?"

She took the underwear from him and quickly disposed of her soiled ones. "Thank you, Kitty," she said in a quiet tone. Once she wiped, she stood up and pulled the disposable underwear up to her waist. "Man, this thing _does_ look like a diaper."

Adrien tried to hold in a snicker. "I bet it'll be a lot more comfortable on you, though," he said, offering her his hand. "Need some help?"

She took his hand in hers and let him lead her back into her room. Sabrina was still in the corner, disposing of the soiled sheets as she prepared to put new ones on. "Oh, sorry guys," she said. "I'll have your bed ready in a bit, but I think you guys could go walk around if you want." She took notice of Marinette clinging onto Adrien's arm. "That is, if you feel like it, Marinette."

She stood up straight. "That actually sounds really nice," she said in a sweet tone. "What do you think?" She looked up at Adrien.

"Whatever will make you feel comfortable," he answered, giving her a kiss on her hair.

"Then let's do it," Marinette said. "I'm kind of tired of being cooped up in here."

Adrien held out his arm as if he were a prince leading a princess. "Lead the way, Milady," he said.

"We'll be back," she said to Sabrina as they left the room.

Exiting the room made them even more aware that they were in a hospital. The plain, dreary walls fit the atmosphere quite well. Marinette didn't even bother putting her shoes on, despite the fact that the floor beneath her was cold.

She could feel herself regaining her strength, making her feel as though she could turn into Ladybug and go swing from the Eiffel Tower. The slight achiness that had been present in her limbs was slowly beginning to dissipate.

Although she was beginning to feel better, nothing could be done about the emptiness she was feeling in her heart.

Adrien noticed her unusual quietness and looked at her. "You seem to be feeling a bit better," he said. "This is kind of nice, isn't it?"

"Just a little," she said. "I can't wait to leave, though."

"Same here," he said. "Honestly…this whole day has felt like a dream. No, more like a nightmare."

Marinette shook her head in agreement. It also warmed her heart a bit to see him letting out his feelings a bit. It was something he always struggled with and she would be lying if she said it didn't hurt her. "Yeah…"

Adrien looked straight ahead and squinted a bit. "Hey, is that…?"

She did the same, her eyes focusing on two figures in the front of the waiting room, near the entrance. A little gasp escaped her throat. "I think it is!"

Indeed, standing close to the front were none other than her wonderful parents. Even from far away, she could see the worried looks on their faces. If it weren't for how weak her body felt, she would've ran towards them at lightning speed.

Adrien must've picked up on her vibes because he sped up just a little. He made sure she could still keep up, though. As they got closer, Marinette could feel her heart begin to pick up speed. She wondered how long it would take for them to notice their presence.

As they finally made it to the waiting room, she found her parents talking to a nurse at the front desk.

"Her name is Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Agreste. She's my daughter," her father spoke in his booming voice.

"Oh, Marinette," the nurse said, looking at something on her screen. "She would be…" She looked down the hallway, but stopped when she noticed Marinette and Adrien standing there. "She's right here actually."

Tom and Sabine both looked to their left simultaneously, their faces lighting up when they spotted their daughter and son-in-law.

"There's my little girl!", Tom said, running up to hug Marinette. "Oh, we've been so worried about you."

She heard him sniffle and her heart almost broke in two. "I'm so happy that you're here," she said, wrapping her arms around him. "Adrien has been taking really good care of me."

He pulled away to look at Adrien, who attempted to smile a little. "There was no doubt in my mind," he said. "Adrien is a good boy." The boy looked away, a bit of blush developing on his face.

Sabine came up and put a hand on her daughter's shoulder, wiping a few tears from her own eyes. "We're here for you, sweetheart," she said, then looked over at Adrien. "For both of you."

"Thank you, Mom," Marinette said, feeling tears well up in her own eyes.

"Excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng?"

They all turned around to see a nurse leaning over the counter.

"Yes?", Sabine spoke up.

"You both are free to visit your daughter back in her room," she said.

"Thank you so much," Tom said. "Ready to go back you two? You probably need more rest, Marinette."

Adrien and Marinette looked at each other and nodded.

They began their walk back to Marinette's room, with Adrien holding her hand as they walked down the long hallway. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her papa trying his hardest to keep his eyes clean. He was never the type of person to cry, especially not in front of her.

To know she was the cause of his pain, even unintentionally, made her heart ache.

She saw her mom walk up next to him, wrapping her arm around his in a similar way to how she was holding Adrien's. Next to her, Adrien tried to keep a small smile on his face. Marinette knew him better than that. Even if he didn't say it, she could feel the pain he also felt within his heart.

She didn't know why she hadn't noticed it sooner.

The hallway in front of them started becoming longer and longer. Her vision became blurry. That pounding in her head she had felt the night before returned with a screaming passion. Adrien's hand that she held in hers slowly became just a lingering feeling.

It was too late for her to say anything before her whole world went black.

"Marinette!"

"Get one of the doctors, please!"

Adrien still held onto her as her body went limp and he turned to her immediately. He refused to let her body hit the ground as he held her head in his hand. "Marinette, please," he said, tears welling up in his eyes. "Please be okay."

She could still feel his soft hand gently brushing across her cheek. Her body refused to move. It kept itself locked in place as she laid close to the floor.

After a few moments of darkness, she found it in herself to open her eyes. The first thing she saw was Adrien's petrified face looking down at her. There were tears streaming down his cheeks and she could feel his fingers tangled up in her hair.

"Adrien…", she found the strength in her to say.

"Marinette…", he brought her up to him and squeezed her, as if he never wanted to let go. "I love you, okay?"

"Okay," she said. "I love you, too."

They shared a kiss just as more doctors came to check up on her. She didn't remember much of how she went from laying in Adrien's arms to being back in her hospital bed.

She could hear small talks amongst him and her parents as she faded in and out of consciousness.

Sometime during the whole thing, he had called Alya and Nino and told them about everything that happened. She could hardly hear their voices through the muffled speaker of his phone, but she knew the news made their hearts break.

She felt a warm sensation in her hand and she opened her eyes weakly to see Adrien holding it, keeping it close to his face. "Please, Marinette," he said, his voice shaky. "I don't want to lose you. I-I can't."

She wished she could reassure him that she'd never leave. She'd give anything to be able to lift his spirits, especially because she knew he was also going through as rough of a time as she was.

It was impossible to do that when she wasn't even sure anymore herself.

All she could do was unfold her hand and press it against his cheek. His face lit up in surprise, with his eyes glistening in the florescent lights of the room.

"I'll try," is all she could manage to say before she fell back asleep.

* * *

Adrien's eyes burned as he tried to hold back the tears. It had been so long since he had cried so much in one day. The aching feeling that currently resided in his heart was a familiar one. It brought him back to a few years before, to a time when he felt as though nothing would get better. He was so young at the time, so fragile.

" _Dad…where is Mom?",_ he heard his younger voice say.

It was the only time he had ever seen his father cry. _"She's gone, son_ ," he had said to him. _"I'm so sorry."_

He shook his head, trying to rid himself of those painful memories. All he wanted to focus on at that moment was his Marinette. The love of his life, the one who was currently hooked up to a few different tubes that he had no idea of their purpose.

He held her hand, gently squeezing it. The warmth radiating off of her skin reminded him that she was still so full of life, despite her current condition. He listened to the heart monitor to his right; the waves moving along as heart kept pumping at a steady pace.

Even if she looked so calm and peaceful on the outside, he knew it was like Hell for her.

He hated himself for not being able to do anything.

As he looked on at Marinette, he felt a friendly hand on his shoulder. He turned to his left to see Sabine standing next to him. "Adrien, sweetheart," she said in her usual soft tone. Her expression softened when he looked at her. She immediately noticed the dark circles under his eyes. "You've had such a long day. Why don't you go home and take a shower, get something to eat, maybe take a nap." She placed a hand on his head and stroked his hair. "Her father and I can watch her and we'll call you if she wakes up."

He sniffled. "Are you sure?", he asked, his voice slightly hoarse. "I really don't want to leave her side."

Sabine looked on at the boy, feeling her heart tugging at her chest. "I've been taking care of her for her entire life," she said. "You need to keep up your strength, too."

Adrien contemplated her words in his mind. A nice, hot shower and some takeout did sound really good to him at that moment. Perhaps the irrational thoughts also came along with the near exhaustion that he felt. "Okay, I think you're right," he said. "Thank you, Mrs. Dupa- I mean, Sabine."

"You go and take care of yourself, young man," Tom said from across the room. "We care about you a lot too, you know."

As he stood up, he felt Sabine place her hand on his arm. "Marinette needs you, but we do too," she said. "Please go get some rest, Adrien."

He used his sleeve to wipe the unshed tears from behind his glasses. "Thank you Tom, thank you Sabine," he said. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

They watched as he gathered his things from around the room, his body moving slower than usual. Before leaving the room, he stopped at Marinette's bed. He pushed a few sweaty pieces of hair out of her face and gently placed his lips to her forehead. "I'll be back, ma chérie," he whispered. "I love you so much."

He bid farewell to Tom and Sabine as he left them temporarily to look after their sickly daughter.

As soon as he made it out to their car, he threw his bags into the passenger seat. Two very audible "ouches" could be heard as it hit with a thud. Once we he was in the driver's seat, Plagg flew out from one of the bags.

"We're going home?", he asked. "Finally, I needed more camembert!"

Adrien tried his hardest not to scowl at his kwami. It seemed he didn't need to reprimand him though, as Tikki jumped out at the next second.

"Is that really all you can think about right now?!", she said, her small voice squeaking as she nearly yelled. "Marinette is sick and she's in the hospital. She and Adrien lost their baby and all you wanna think about is cheese?!"

Plagg whimpered, his whiskers drooping. "I…I didn't mean it to come off that way," he said. They looked up at Adrien, who was trying his hardest to keep himself together. "I'm sorry, Adrien."

Tikki flew up and pressed herself to Adrien's cheek. "I'm also sorry," she said. "That was very insensitive for me to say."

"I know you guys meant no harm," he said. "But please understand that I'm not in a good place right now."

"We understand," Plagg said. "We as kwamis don't know much about these kinds of human things, but we know when our humans are sad."

"And it makes us sad too," Tikki said. "We're always here for you and Marinette."

Adrien held out both of his hands. "Come here you two," he said, watching as they came up to sit in his palms. "I could never be mad at either of you. Can we please just…go home so I can get some rest?"

Plagg looked off to the side. "Can I still have my cheese?", he asked nervously. The kwami tried to ignore the angry look that Tikki was giving him.

"Of course you can," Adrien said. "Now I need to actually drive so that we can get home."

The small creatures flew back inside of his bag, only sticking their heads out.

Adrien tried to clear his mind as they drove back to the house. The thought of sleeping alone in his big, comfy bed made a shiver go down his spine. Despite this, though, there was a tingly feeling in the back of his head. It made him want to smile, the one that always made Marinette happy.

It was a feeling that told him somehow, someway…

…everything would be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if this chapter seems a bit boring. I was going to have A LOT more stuff happen, but I don't like to make my chapters too long or feel like I'm cramming a whole bunch of things in at once. So basically, if this story ends up having like twenty chapters, it's no big deal. It's however long it takes for me to tell the story that I want to. Anyway, see y'all next time!


	4. Un père et un fils

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, everyone! I'm a bit early this time, which makes me really happy! It's also a bit of a late night update, if you live in the US that is. Anyway, enjoy!

Marinette felt her eyes slowly begin to open; the small mounds of sleep built up in the corners of her eyes trying to keep them closed. The blinding lights in her hospital room had been dimmed down and the sun was beginning to set across the skies of Paris. Through her slightly opened eyes, she could see her parents sitting in the chairs on the other side of the room. She wanted to say something, anything, to let them know she was okay, but her mouth refused to speak. Everything felt so exhausting. The pounding in her head had returned and her whole body felt limp.

She took notice of the oxygen canula that was now placed in her nostrils. Her ears picked up the whispers coming from her parents, making her body perk up a little. Using a bit of her strength, she turned her head to the left. She noticed immediately that her bag was still there, but Adrien's was gone. Her body felt too weak to react to that realization, so she simply stared straight ahead.

It wasn't long before Sabine turned her head in her direction, and her eyes immediately lit up. "Marinette!", she said, trying not to raise her voice too much. "Finally, you're awake."

Both of her parents walked over to her bed, their faces looking on at her in relief. "How do you feel, sweetie?", Tom asked her in a soft voice.

Marinette swallowed, trying to see if her vocal cords would let her speak. "I..", her voice trailed off as she tried to speak, her throat raspy. "I don't know."

Sabine came closer and began stroking her hair. "That's okay," she told her. "The doctor came in a little while ago to check in on you. You're really dehydrated."

"So, I'll be okay?", Marinette asked, her voice still weak.

"Yes, definitely," her mom said. "You're a very strong girl. You can do it."

Tom picked up a tray and sat it in front of her. "They also brought you some food earlier," he said. "It's not the best, but you'd probably feel better if you ate something."

Marinette looked at the tray of food in front of her. On top of the tray was a small bowl of pasta, some fruit, and half of a baguette.

Her father leaned in close and said, "I bet that bread isn't as good as _mine_."

She found the strength to snicker a little. "You're probably right, Papa," she said. "But I am kind of hungry." Looking at the plate of food in front of her, she picked up a fork and took a bite of the pasta. She didn't gag, so that was a good sign. "Mmm, not bad."

Sabine brought over a bottle of water. "The doctor wants you to drink plenty of fluids," she said. "She already has you hooked up to this bag up here."

"Thanks, Mama," she said, her mouth full. As she continued to eat, a question burned in her chest. "I almost forgot to ask: Where's Adrien?"

"He went back home for a bit," Sabine said. "He looked so exhausted. All he wanted to do was sit here and wait for you to wake up. So, I encouraged him to go and get some rest."

Marinette nodded. "I'll be honest. I worry about that boy sometimes," she said. Thinking about how much Adrien had been so worried about her was enough to make her heart ache. She loved him so much that she sometimes still felt like she didn't deserve him. "I'm thankful to have him and I know he cares about me. But…"

"You wish he didn't neglect himself for you," her mother finished. "Is that it?"

Marinette bit her lip and looked away. "Y-Yeah," she said. "I know he's so used to hiding his own feelings inside due to his own trauma in the past. It's just…" She tried to keep tears from welling up in her eyes. "I wish he didn't hide that kind of stuff from me. I know that I'm sick and he's worried. I know that…" She took a deep breath. "I know that we just lost our baby so perhaps this is his way of coping." Her heart begged her to continue, but doing so made it feel as though she had ignited a flame that she never meant to touch.

It was at that point that her mom began running her fingers through her hair, causing Marinette to settle down a little.

"It just hurts, Mom," she said, looking at Sabine with tears in her eyes. "Everything hurts right now."

"Have you tried talking to him about it?", her mother asked her.

Marinette shook her head. "No. I really didn't start feeling this way until last night, and honestly it could just be because of how messed up my brain is right now," she said. "I don't want to hurt Adrien for nothing."

"Oh, sweetheart," Sabine soothed her. "You two have known each other for such a long time. I'm sure you could fix things."

"I know we could," Marinette said. "But I want to get better first and see if my feelings change.

She felt her mom grab her hand. "I know things between you and Adrien will be fine," she said before kissing Marinette's hair. "You're married now and part of being husband and wife is learning how to resolve conflicts together."

Laying her head back on her pillow, Marinette pondered her mother's words. Of course if anyone knew how to resolve conflicts, it would be her and Adrien. They _were_ Ladybug and Chat Noir after all. They had their usual squabbles about the best way to defeat a villain or even minuscule things like which restaurant they should order from, but she couldn't remember a time when they had an actual fight.

She didn't show it much, but the idea of fighting with Adrien left her terrified. Her heart told her that things would always be okay with them no matter what, but the last thing she'd ever want to do was hurt Adrien.

He was always so kind, thoughtful, sweet, funny, not to mention handsome. His heart was big and soft just like hers was and so she knew that he would take her words to heart. That was just the kind of person Adrien was.

She squeezed her mom's hand. "Thank you, Mom," Marinette said. "I just want to focus on getting out of here first."

"That's fine. Talk to him whenever you're ready," Sabine said. "Just don't let those feelings wallow for too long."

"I won't, I promise," Marinette said with a small smile. She turned back to the tray of food in front of her and continued to eat, hoping that her body would regain its strength soon.

They heard footsteps coming and turned their heads towards the door. In stepped Sabrina with her usual big smile on her face. "Oh Marinette!", she said, trying to not be too loud. "You're finally awake! I've been so worried about you."

"Hi Sabrina," Marinette said, coughing a little. She watched as the girl came closer, her smile never fading.

"How do you feel?", she asked her. "And where's Adrien?"

"I'm feeling a bit better now, thank you," she answered. "And he went home for a bit to get some rest."

"Oh okay, good to know," she said. Marinette took notice of how Sabrina was bouncing on her feet slightly. "I ask because there are actually some people here to see him." There was a bit of a squeal in her voice. "Oh, and you too."

Marinette turned her ears toward the doorway. Outside in the hall, she could hear a familiar monotone voice.

"Excuse me, my name is Gabriel Agreste. I'm looking for the room in which my daughter-in-law is being held," he said.

"Um yes sir, right down there on your left," said another voice, presumably a nurse.

"Thank you, Miss," Gabriel said. "Come on, Nathalie."

Marinette sat up straight in her bed as the footsteps came closer. Even after knowing Gabriel for a few years now, his presence still managed to send a shiver down her spine.

It wasn't long before she saw him poking his head in the door, a little smile on his face as he noticed her.

"Hello, Marinette," he said, stepping inside with Nathalie following close behind. "Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng as well." He nodded to them and they calmly nodded back.

"H-Hi Mr. Agreste," Marinette said.

He laughed. "You know you can call me 'Gabriel'," he said. "You earned that right by marrying my son."

"You're right," she said. "I'm just…not really myself right now." She turned her head away from him.

Gabriel frowned, followed by Nathalie. "I understand," he said. "Adrien called us yesterday and we…" He looked at Nathalie, who gave him a knowing glance. "We knew we needed to be here with you both."

Marinette felt the edges of her lips curl into a little smile. Gabriel had always been someone whom she admired, even before she knew Adrien. She knew that he wasn't the best person, or even the best father, but having his support meant everything to her. "Thank you so much," she said. "I know you two were having such a great time on your trip and we-"

She was stopped dead in her tracks by him holding up a hand. "There is absolutely nothing to worry about," Gabriel said. "Nathalie and I both knew that being here for you and Adrien was more important."

Marinette swore she could feel her heart growing in her chest. "Really, I…I can't tell you how grateful I am," she said.

"Please, it is our pleasure," he said. "I will also pay any medical expenses that may come about from this visit." She noticed her parents' eyes growing wide from that. "In the meantime, where is my son?"

* * *

"Aww look at him, Plagg."

"Why? I see him _all the time_."

Plagg looked on in confusion as Tikki looked longingly at Adrien, her small paws squishing her cheeks as she laid on her belly. The two of them had spent the last few hours following him around to make sure he took care of himself. After awhile though, he had told them to leave him alone for a bit. This left the kwamis to go relax in their own little shelter. They came back to find him asleep in his bedroom, small snoring sounds escaping from his mouth.

"I do too, but I'm just really happy to see that he's resting," Tikki said, her eyes not leaving Adrien's form. "I can tell that his nerves are very worn."

"Mine are too!", Plagg said, flying back to sit in the drawer of the nightstand. "Do you know how hard it is to go an entire night without my sweet, sweet camembert?"

The ladybug kwami rolled her eyes and looked back at him. "Would you stop thinking about your stomach for two seconds?!", she said, her small voice becoming shrill. "We have more important things to worry about right now."

Plagg's whiskers fell. "You're right, Sugarcube," he said. "I guess…this is just my way of dealing with it." He looked up at her. "I'm sad for Marinette and Adrien too, ya know."

Tikki's little smile turned into a frown when she noticed the sadness in his eyes. "You really just need to work on your timing," she said. "But I get it. It's hard for us as kwamis to understand what they're going through." She flew over to sit on top of the nightstand. "We just have to be there for them."

The cat kwami looked over at her; his whiskers perking up. "I'll try, I promise," he said, grabbing a piece of cheese. "Maybe I'll be happier when Marinette gets to come home."

"I will be, too," Tikki said. She took another glance at Adrien, his chest moving up and down as he snored. Looking at the window, she noticed that the sun looked as though it would be setting soon. "Do you think we should wake him up?"

Plagg also looked at the sleeping Adrien, laughing a little when he noticed the trail of drool on his pillow. "Maybe, I don't know," he said. "I'm sure Marinette misses him."

"Oh I know she does," Tikki said. "But, he just looks so peaceful."

Both of their antennae shot up when they heard a noise coming from the other side of the bed. Plagg took the lead of flying over to see what was up. His eyes widened and he motioned for Tikki to come over. "Hey, I think we have our answer," he said, looking down at what was in front of him.

Tikki popped up beside him and gasped when she saw what he was looking at. Laying before them on the bedside table was Adrien's phone. It vibrated with text messages from Marinette and…

"His father?!", Tikki exclaimed. She remembered hearing him talk to his father on the phone the night before. Even with just having known Adrien personally for only a few years, she knew that Gabriel Agreste was not someone to keep waiting. "Okay, this is definitely a situation."

"You're telling me," Plagg replied. "So, how do you want to go about doing this?"

Tikki looked around, her eyes looking from Adrien and back to Plagg. "Well, he's _your_ owner," she said, pointing at him. "I'll let you do the honors."

Plagg sighed. "Of course you'd pick me," he said. "But if he gripes at me, then I'm blaming it on you."

She seemed to accept that, so she watched him in action. He flew back over to the drawer where he kept his cheese and grabbed a piece. Making his way back to where Adrien was sleeping, he gently stuck the piece of camembert beneath the boy's nostrils. He watched as his nose began to twitch and the kwami tried to hold back a giggle. It wasn't long before Adrien's eyes opened sleepily; his pupils looking directly at Plagg.

Adrien yawned and used his hands to rub the sleep from his eyes. "Plagg?", he asked, his voice low. "What's the big idea?"

The kwami put his paw on his stomach, trying to keep his laughter contained. "Sorry, kid," he said. "But we needed you to wake up."

His eyes wandered around the room; his vision blurry without his glasses. All he could see was Plagg's figure in front of him. "Why? What's wrong?", Adrien asked. He felt his heart begun to race as he became more frantic. "Is Marinette okay?"

"Slow down, Adrien," Tikki said from behind him, noticing his panic. "Let your mind and body awaken first."

He tried to slow his breathing as he rolled over onto his back. Closing his eyes once again, he began to take deep, slow breaths. "Okay, I think I'm good," he said once his heart has calmed down. "Now do you mind telling me what's up?"

Before Tikki could explain, Plagg piped up. "It's your father," he said. "He's at the hospital."

"My father?", Adrien asked, mild confusion filling his head. "But I thought he and Nathalie wouldn't be arriving until tomorrow?"

"It seems they took a fast jet," Plagg said, shrugging. "Or something."

Adrien brought himself to sit up, stretching his arms as he did so. "Alright, then let's go back," he said, yawning. "Plagg, claws-"

"Hey! No!", Plagg objected before he could finish his transformation phrase. "How would you explain to everyone that you somehow got to the hospital without a car?"

The boy chuckled. "Okay, you're right," he said, finally standing up. "Thought it was worth the shot, though." He reached down and picked his glasses up off of the nightstand, then walked over to the closet. "Just, um, let me change my clothes first."

Once he had stepped inside, Plagg said to Tikki, "Yeah, wouldn't want anyone to see a grown man wearing Ladybug pajamas, now do we?"

The kwamis laughed as they saw his face turn into the lightest shade of pink. "Hey, I like my Ladybug pajamas, thank you very much," he said, taking his shirt off.

"So do I," Tikki said, covering her mouth as she giggled. As she glanced into the closet, she could see the matching Chat Noir pair. "Actually…" She flew into the closet and picked up the pajama shirt. "Why don't you take these to Marinette? I'm sure she'd love to change into them."

Adrien smiled at her. "That's a wonderful idea, Tikki," he said, taking the pajamas from her. "Marinette really needs all the happiness right now." He took a deep breath, inhaling the cool air around him. "And so do I…"

The kwami noticed the hint of sadness in his voice and gave him a reassuring pat on the face. "It'll be okay, Adrien," she said. "You and Marinette are strong. You're Ladybug and Chat Noir! You can get through anything as long as you're together." She giggled. "Believing in yourself helps, too."

He scooped her into his hands. "Merci beaucoup, Tikki," he gave her a little kiss on her head. It was hard not to notice his current state as a small breeze blew across his bare chest. "Now can I please get dressed so that we can go see Marinette?"

Tikki nodded, flying back out into the bedroom. "Yes, of course," she said. A thought crossed her mind and she turned back around. "Oh, and you're very welcome, Adrien."

He gave the kwami one last little smile before closing the closet door, leaving him to get dressed. As he did so, many things flashed into his mind. The first was, of course, how his father would react to now knowing that he was going to be a grandfather; key word there being " _was_ ". A part of him felt guilty for not telling him the news sooner. He knew that he would've taken it hard either way, but somehow he felt like that would've lessened the blow.

Regardless of how his father reacted, Adrien knew it was important that he talked to him as soon as possible.

* * *

Adrien made his way through the automatic sliding doors of the hospital. Making his way up to the desk, he spotted Sabrina looking at her computer.

She looked up and gave him a warm smile once she noticed him heading towards her. "Hey, Adrien," she said. "Feeling refreshed?"

He ran his fingers through his freshly washed blond hair. "Much," he said. "Now I'm going back to be with my wife."

"Good to hear," she said. "She's been doing very well, in case you wanted to know."

He felt a bit of relief run through him, calming his nerves. "Thank you for letting me know," he said. "I'll see you later." He waved at her as he began walking towards the hallway.

She waved back before glancing back at the computer.

Adrien walked the short distance down the long hallway to Marinette's room. If there was one thing he knew, it was that he wasn't fond of hospitals. The cold rooms and hallways never failed to send shivers down his spine. Along with the constant sounds of crying or yelling, sometimes screaming, it just always gave him an uneasy feeling.

The sound of giggling could be heard from inside Marinette's room, making him smile. He peeped his head inside to see her still laying in bed, now with the television turned on. He tapped his fist lightly on the outside wall to signal her attention. "Knock knock."

Her head immediately turned to the door. Seeing the way her lips curled into a smile was enough to make his heart skip a beat. "Adrien!", she said, holding out her arms.

Without hesitation, he speed walked towards her and immediately pulled her into a hug. "I've missed you so much, my lady," Adrien said, laying his head on top of hers. "Were you good while I was gone?"

She laughed, squeezing him tighter. "No, I was very mean and the nurses hate me," she said in a playful tone. "Of course I was good."

He also laughed and kissed her hair. "That's my Marinette," he said. Looking around the room, he noticed that she was alone. "Where are your parents?"

"Oh, they went back home," she explained. "They want to get some sleep so that they can reopen the bakery tomorrow."

"So you've been alone in here?", he asked, a hint of sadness in his voice. The feeling of guilt weighed in on him. "I'm so sorry, I never should've left. I should've stayed here with you so that you wouldn't be-"

He was stopped by Marinette putting a finger to his lips. "Adrien, it's okay," she said. "I've had other company since you've been gone."

Before he could question her, they heard a knock on the door. Adrien turned around to see none other than his father and stepmother poking their heads in the door.

"Hello, Adrien," Nathalie said as she stepped inside. "We're so happy to finally see you."

In her hands was a cup of coffee and her tablet. Gabriel followed close behind and went to take a seat on the other side of the room.

Adrien walked over to Nathalie and gave her a side hug. "I'm happy to see you guys, too," he said, flashing her a smile. He looked back and forth between them, noticing the bags under their eyes. "I'm sure you're both exhausted from your flight."

Nathalie yawned. "It is nothing I'm not used to," she said. "Though, your father may say otherwise."

They looked over to see Gabriel relaxing on the futon that Adrien had slept on the night before. He was covering his eyes with one of his hands. "You okay, Father?", Adrien asked.

Gabriel took his hand away from his face and looked at him. "I'm fine," he said.

"They've kept me company since my parents left," Marinette piped up. "We've just been waiting for you."

"Oh, that's wonderful," Adrien said. "Sorry I took so long. I _really_ needed that nap."

"Don't worry about it, mon cher," she said. "I'm just so happy to have you back."

Adrien went back over to her and picked up her hands. "And I'm happy to see you awake," he said before placing kisses on her knuckles. "I missed you."

She placed a hand on his cheek. "I missed you, too," she said. He moved his face closer to hers, closing his eyes as he prepared to close the gap between them. The softness of their lips brushed against each other, igniting a spark that-

"We're still here, ya know," Nathalie said, raising an eyebrow.

Marinette and Adrien immediately pulled apart, feeling their cheeks burst into deep shades of pink.

"R-Right, sorry," Adrien said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess we just um…got a bit caught up in the moment."

Gabriel found the strength to sit up as the dizziness slipped away. "Adrien," he spoke. "I would like to talk to you for a moment."

His son looked at him, his gaze showing that of anticipation. "Yes, Father," he said. He looked at Marinette, using a hand to brush loose hairs from her face. "I'll be back."

She nodded and waved him goodbye as he followed his father out into the hallway.

Adrien closed the door behind him and turned to see his father facing him. He opened his mouth to speak, but was stopped by his father pulling him into a hug. He grunted a little, the mild shock running through him as Gabriel squeezed him in his arms. "D-Dad?"

It took him a few moments to speak. Many thoughts ran through his mind as he tried to find the right words to say. "Adrien, I…", he began, pulling back from the hug. "I am so sorry."

"But why?", Adrien asked, mildly confused. "You haven't done anything wrong."

"No, no, I know," Gabriel said. "I'm sorry about what happened to you and Marinette."

The realization dawned on Adrien and he felt his face soften. "Oh. Oh…", he said. "Listen Father, Marinette and I were going to tell you eventually, we just didn't want to ruin-"

"Son, please," Gabriel said in a comforting tone. "Just listen to what I have to say."

"Yes, of course," Adrien said. "Sorry."

Taking a deep breath, Gabriel put his hands on Adrien's shoulders. "When you called Nathalie and told her what had happened, I wasn't sure how to react," he began. "So many feelings cycled through me. Sadness, guilt, anger. It was a sensation I have felt only a few times in my life." He squeezed his shoulders. "I guess you could say that I felt very…numb."

"Father I…", Adrien tried to speak. "I didn't mean to make you angry."

"If I'm being honest, I was only angry for a short time," Gabriel said. "I was never mad at you or Marinette for not telling me that she was pregnant because I knew that you would have eventually." He pushed up his glasses on the bridge of his nose. "I was mad because you and her don't deserve that. You two deserve to be happy and to have a family. I know it's something you both have talked about since you were in collège."

Adrien's mind was wandering in that moment. Never in his twenty-three years of life did he ever see his father radiate this much emotion. His eyes were glistening in the light, much like his own did at times. "If I may say something now," he looked at his father, who then nodded in approval. "I don't know if I've ever properly thanked you for being so supportive of mine and Marinette's relationship." He could feel tears welling up in his eyes. "It…it's always meant a lot to me."

"How could I not be supportive towards a girl who loves my son?", Gabriel asked. "Seeing the happiness she brings you really reminds me of…." He looked away as his voice trailed off. "How your mother made me feel."

Adrien tried to hold back the tears that were trying to force themselves out of his eyes. Even if it had been nearly a decade since she had disappeared, a hole in his heart still remained. A hole that she used to occupy. All he could do was listen and flash his father a tear filled smile.

"And another thing that makes me angry is that…", Gabriel continued. "I never wanted you to have to go through what your mother and I did. I've never told you this before, but when Emilie and I decided to have children, we also had a bit of trouble."

"What do you mean?", Adrien asked, wiping his eyes.

Gabriel gulped. "There was a time, before you were born, that your mother found herself pregnant," he said. "We were elated, ecstatic. But after a little while, she could feel that something wasn't right."

The realization finally set into Adrien's mind. "You don't mean…?"

His father nodded. "Much like the situation you and Marinette are in now, we also suffered a loss," he said, feeling his own eyes beginning to tear up in that moment. "We were devastated. Our hopes of having the family we dreamed of were dashed."

"Oh my gosh, Father I-I," Adrien said, his voice shaky. "Why did I never know about all of this?"

"We just never knew the right time to tell you," Gabriel said, taking out a handkerchief to wipe his eyes. "But I figured now is that time."

His son whimpered. "I'm so sorry," he said. "You guys didn't deserve that either."

Gabriel shook his head and patted him on the shoulder. "It's in the past, don't worry about it," he said. "Besides, we both know it turned out fine in the end, right?"

Adrien nodded. "Yeah, I do," he said.

"When we found out that your mother was pregnant again, we were still so excited," he started again. "However, there was still that worry that something would happen to this baby too." His face turned into a little frown. "The doctors monitored that baby every single day, under your mother's orders of course. And every single time, they would tell her the same exact thing."

"And what was that?", Adrien asked, curious.

"'He's perfect'," Gabriel said. "Your mother never fully believed them until the day he-". He gave Adrien a small smile. " _You_ were born."

"Me," Adrien said. "You were talking about me?"

He nodded. "Yes, when you were born, we felt as though our hearts had finally been ignited," he said. "We finally had the baby we had always dreamed of."

It was impossible for Adrien to stop the tears now. "And-and you think the same can happen for me and Marinette too?"

He noticed that Gabriel was crying too. "Of course I do," he said. "And I'm sorry if you ever thought I was mad at you."

The wetness on his cheeks felt more like an ocean of relief to Adrien. He couldn't remember the last time he'd ever had a conversation like this, let alone with his father. All of his feelings spilled out of his eyes and nose and he unconsciously leaped into his father's arms. "I-I forgive you," he said, wrapped his arms around his chest. "Thank you so much." He laid his head on Gabriel's shoulder. "I love you."

Gabriel hugged him back, leaning his head against Adrien's. "I know I don't say it much," he said. "But I love you too." He used one of his hands to brush back his son's soft, golden hair as he felt him pushing himself deeper into the crook of his neck.

The warmth of his father's embrace was a sensation that Adrien had missed. The hairs on the back of his neck and arms stood up at his touch. A feeling of warm fuzziness flowed through him as their bodies held each other.

Adrien finally pulled back, turning around to hear the door being opened behind him. The wetness in his eyes made his vision blurry, but he was able to make out a figure. "Dr. Laurent?"

"Hello, Adrien," she said, her brows furrowing at him. "Are you okay?"

He wiped his eyes on his sleeve. "Yeah, I am now," he said, giving her a small smile. "Oh, and this is my father: Gabriel Agreste." He moves aside to show his father, who stepped up to greet the doctor.

"Enchantée," Gabriel said. "I assume you're the doctor watching over Marinette?"

"You would be correct," the doctor said. "I was just about to go in there now." She continued inside the room with Gabriel and Adrien following close behind.

"Hi, Marinette," Dr. Laurent said as she spotted her on the bed. "How are you doing this evening?"

"I'm good," she answered. "I'm feeling a lot stronger than before."

"Good, good," the doctor said. "Well, I have some _very_ good news for you."

Marinette immediately sat up in her bed; her eyes widening in anticipation. Adrien went to stand beside her, grabbing her hand. Gabriel and Nathalie took this as a sign to leave the room.

"The other doctors and I have been monitoring your condition," Dr. Laurent flipped through the charts on her clipboard. "And we all think that you are ready to be discharged in the morning."

Marinette felt her chest release the breath she didn't know she was holding. She looked to Adrien to see his face showing the same sign of relief. "Oh my gosh," she said, feeling tears well up in her eyes. "Thank you so much."

Dr. Laurent nodded. "It's my pleasure," she said. "We do still want to keep you tonight, just to make sure you're completely stable."

"We really can't thank you enough for all of your help," Adrien said, squeezing his wife's hand.

"No problem," the doctor said. "It's what I do, after all." She looked at them with the biggest smile on her face. "I'll leave you guys alone for now, see you in the morning."

As she left the room, the couple didn't hesitate to celebrate the moment.

Adrien leaned into Marinette, squishing his cheek against hers. "I'm so proud of you, my lady," he said. "There was never a doubt in my mind that you would recover."

She smiled, pushing her face against his. "You are too sweet for me," she said, using a hand to pat his other cheek.

"It comes with the package," he said, giving her a sly grin. He turned and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm just so happy that finally get to go home."

"Fi-na-lly!", Plagg exclaimed as he flew out of Adrien's bag. "I'll finally be back with my my sweet, sweet cheese."

Tikki flew out and gave him a jab in the side, while Adrien and Marinette laughed.

"Yes, you can _finally_ have all of your cheese again," Marinette said.

Tikki shook her head. "What will we _ever_ do with you, Plagg?", she asked sarcastically.

Adrien looked on as the kwamis began to playfully argue, ready to jump in if it called for intervention. All she could do in that moment was relish in her relief, even if it was embedded in continued sadness.

She felt a single tear drip down her cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The scene with Gabriel and Adrien was my favorite part in this chapter. I feel like Gabriel may have been a bit OOC, but honestly? I'm fine with that. Until next time!


	5. Relaxing Day Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! It's been a little while, hasn't it? Well, there IS a reason why this chapter took a bit of time (and why it's shorter than the other ones). That reason is because last month, I actually got accepted into an Adrienette Zine! I've been working on those fics while also trying to keep this story alive, but it is a bit draining. I also work during the week and so there are some days where I just don't feel like writing. The next update may also be slow due to that, but do not worry! I will update as soon as I can :) Anyway, enjoy!

"And here are the list of care instructions that you'll need to follow for the next few days."

Marinette took the paper from Sabrina, looking over it briefly. "Thank you so much for everything, Sabrina," she said, her eyes sparkling.

"Of course," Sabrina said. "Not only is it my job as your nurse, but I'm also doing it as a friend."

"We're very grateful," Adrien said from the other side of the room. "These last couple of days have been pretty rough."

Adrien was busy making sure all of their things were packed as they prepared to leave the hospital. Marinette still sat on her bed, relaxing her body until it was time for them to leave.

"I know and I definitely feel for both of you," Sabrina said. She flashed Marinette a sympathetic smile. "Please don't hesitate to call me if you need anything, either. Not just nurse things, but anything." She pointed her fingers at them. "I mean it."

"I'll definitely keep that in mind," Marinette said. "Especially because they have me in these diapers."

Sabrina and Adrien both laughed. "You'll be out of them before you know it," Sabrina told her. "Most people don't realize this, but a miscarriage is much like the aftermath of giving birth."

"Makes sense," Adrien said. "You still bleed a lot afterwards, right?"

Sabrina nodded. "That is correct," she said. "Your body is trying to release everything related to your pregnancy, so there'll be some bleeding for a few days."

_Pregnancy_

It was a word that Marinette both loved and hated. She had always thought of it as a beautiful thing, especially between two people who loved each other. There was always this vision of getting to experience this amazing happening of nature. Knowing the feeling of growing another human inside of her body and watching them grow more and more.

Then eventually getting to meet this amazing little creature that she and the love of her life had created together. Getting to experience watching them grow up would be another experience all on its own.

Recently, though, that word had began to leave a sour taste in her mouth. It made her feel bitter and anxious and angry.

All of her current feelings began to boil up inside of her, begging to be let out through her eyes.

How could something so beautiful bring her so much distress?

Her anguish must've been more noticeable than she had originally intended because she soon found her hand growing warm as Adrien wrapped their fingers together.

She looked to her left to see Adrien standing next to her, cupping her hand in-between both of his. He looked at her with that smile he knew she couldn't resist. The one where his cheeks puffed out slightly and his eyebrows moved downwards slightly, creating such a soft look that had the power to melt her instantly.

He reached out and used the back of one of his hands to gently wipe her temple. His fingers intertwined with her hair as their eyes met. "Hey, hey," he said in his softest voice. "It's okay." He noticed the shininess in her eyes and felt her sweat beneath his palm.

It was always a bit hard to feel so sad when Adrien looked at her like that, and he knew it. She put her hand on top of his, letting herself lean into his grasp. "I know, I know," she said. "It's just…still really hard to believe everything that's happened, ya know?" Her lips began to quiver, causing him to tighten his grip on her hand. "How one day I can be pregnant and the next day…"

It was becoming harder for Adrien to hold back his own feelings in that moment. "I know, it's hard for me to believe too," he said. "But perhaps it would be better for the both of us if we tried to focus on the 'now' rather than the 'then'." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. "We need to focus on you getting better, too."

Sabrina stepped forward a bit, hesitance in her words as she began to speak. "I-If I may interject," she said, looking for their permission to keep speaking. The couple looked at her and nodded. "Marinette, I think Adrien is right. It's perfectly fine and normal to be sad and want to cry a lot, especially because you've got this rush of hormones leftover from…" She looked down at her feet and gulped. "Your body is just going through a lot and so are you, so it's understandable."

Marinette wiped her eyes with her free hand. "Thank you Sabrina," she looked at Adrien once again. "And thank you for always being here for me, mon amour."

Adrien leaned in and pressed his lips to her cheek. "I made that promise to you the day I married you, remember?"

Sabrina tried to contain herself as she watched the scene unfolding before her. The edges of her lips formed a smile that stretched as far as her facial muscles would let it. She brought her hands up to her face and clasped them together, trying to resist the urge to squeal. "Gosh, you two really are adorable," she let herself say, despite the many other thought bouncing around in her mind. "Reminds me of all those years ago in collège when we used to imagine you two together." She tapped her feet in excitement. "And now here you finally are, together and cuter than ever."

Both of them were now looking at her, their faces nearly as red as her hair.

"I-I meant that in the best way possible, of course," Sabrina said, waving her hands in front of her. "I do think you guys are really cute together."

Marinette fanned her face with both hands. "Um okay, thank you, Sabrina," she said. She watched Adrien our of the corner of her eye as he went back to fixing up their bags. "Now, when did you say I'm getting released?"

Sabrina stood up straight, regaining her composure. "Yes, right," she went and grabbed a clipboard that was hanging on the wall, reading over it carefully. "It says here that you'll be released in about an hour." She flashed Marinette a smile, watching as the latter's face lit up as well. "Let me just go get those papers and you guys will be good to go."

She headed out of the room, her footsteps echoing down the hall after she closed the door behind her.

Sounds of shuffling could be heard next to Marinette, as Adrien finished putting away everything they needed. Taking one last look around the room, she felt relief flush over her as she remembered she would finally get to go home today. The feeling of her soft, cold sheets already calling her name.

"Feeling any better?", Adrien called to her.

"You want the honest answer or the 'right now' answer?", she asked.

"Right now would be fine," he said.

"Okay, then I'm fine for right now," Marinette answered back. "I just really can't wait to go home."

Adrien flopped onto the futon, his limbs laying limp over the sides. "Tell me about it," he said, the slightest hint of whininess in his voice. "I hate hospitals."

"So do I," said Plagg's muffled voice from inside one of their bags.

"You hate everything that isn't cheese, Plagg," Tikki resounded.

"Not true," he said. "I mean, I like you and Adrien and Marinette don't I?"

The aforementioned ones giggled, resulting in the kwamis flying out into the open.

"Aw, you love us," Adrien teased.

"Of course I do," Plagg said, crossing his arms. "Don't wear it out."

"I think what he's trying to say, though," Tikki began. "Is that we're all really ready to go back home." She gave Marinette a small smile. "Especially because well…"

"What is it?", Marinette asked.

"Well, it's just…", the kwami began, looking down at her feet. "Hawk Moth hasn't caused any trouble in awhile and I've begun to worry."

Marinette looked at Adrien, who shared the same expression; eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed slightly.

"We'll deal with when and if the time comes," he said promptly. "If anything, I can always go out on my own as Mister Bug and call Carapace for help."

"Adrien, I don't think that'll be necessary," Marinette said, sitting up straight. "I can still fight."

"I know you can, you're my strong lady," he said, winking at her. "But your body needs a bit of time to heal and I don't know if we should be taking risks like that."

"He has a point, Marinette," Tikki said. "Although the miraculous do make you stronger and resilient, it's important not to put too much strain on your body."

"We'll worry about it if and when the time comes," Marinette said. "Ladybug won't be taken down that easily."

Adrien walked over to her and kissed her hair. "You know, it's so hard for me to resist you when you get like this," he said, smirking in a way that could give away his identity as Chat Noir.

"Calm down you frisky kitty," she said, laughing as she pushed his face away. "Let me heal first and _then_ we'll talk."

He kissed her hand. "I'll wait for you, my lady."

"Yuck, I need cheese," Plagg said as he flew back into the bag.

Ignoring Plagg's complaints, Marinette spoke again. "Can you help me stand please?", she asked Adrien. "I just wanna make sure I don't fall down this time."

"Of course," he said, going to her side of the bed. He held out his hands to her as she turned and threw legs off the side of the bed. She grabbed his hands, holding on tight as she slipped off and landed on her feet. "Ready?"

"When you are," she said. She let go of his grip, leaning forward a bit. It was easy for her to catch her balance with Adrien standing in front of her. "Heh, look at me." She put her hands on her hips.

"See? You're still my strong Ladybug," he said, patting her on the shoulder. "Now, for the most important part."

"Picking out our 'going home' outfits?"

Before she could turn around, Adrien was already back on the other side of the room, rummaging through one of their bags. "You know it," he said. He then pulled out a familiar red and black shirt, along with a black and green one. He held them up, a cheeky smile on his face.

"Oh mon dieu, really?", Marinette said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Out of all the clothes to bring, you brought our matching Ladybug and Chat Noir pajamas?!"

He nodded. "Purretty please, Milady?"

She couldn't help but laugh. "Fine, you win this one, Kitty," she said. "But just wait until the next time you need me to pick out _your_ outfit."

"I can't wait."

* * *

Adrien fumbled around in his pockets as he searched for the keys to their house. His fingers twitched and he bit his bottom lip, causing his wife to laugh a little.

"Sweetie, do you need my help?", she asked, standing behind him.

He looked over his shoulder. "No, I think I'm good," he said. "I could've sworn I put the keys in my pocket."

From inside his bag, Plagg heard a familiar _jingle_. Exchanging a glance with Tikki, he slid the ring over his head and stuck it out of the small opening. "Looking for these?", he said.

Adrien turned to him, his mouth agape as he internally smacked himself. "Ugh, yes," he said, grabbing the keys from the kwami. "Thank you, Plagg."

"I guess it's a good thing I was in here, huh?", he said, a sly grin on his face.

"Yeah, I guess so," his owner said as he stuck the keys in the door. Adrien finally opened the door, stepping aside to let Marinette walk past him. "After you, my lady."

"Thank you, Chaton," she said. As she entered their home for the first time in a few days, she felt an instant wave of comfort flow through her. The familiar scents of the wood paneling filled her nose with content. "It feels so good to be back."

Adrien moved past her, carrying their bags on his shoulder. "Hell yeah it does," he said. "Let me just take our things back to our room." He turned to his left and began walking towards their bedroom.

The door had been left open from when he had been there the day before. He dropped the bags onto the bed, letting out a sigh of relief as the weight was lifted from his shoulders. As he began to sort through his things, though, a familiar spot caught his eye. "Oh…", he said quietly, his voice escaping unintentionally.

Plagg heard his whisper and flew over next to him. "What's up?", he asked, a bit confused. He watched as Adrien pointed to something next to him, to which the kwami's head followed. "Oh, is that…?"

Adrien nodded. "Yeah, I was so tired yesterday that I completely forgot to strip the bed," he said. The red blood stain on their sheets from a couple days prior still remained. The sight of it made many recent memories flow through his head.

Tikki waking him up, hearing Marinette call out his name as she knelt on the floor, rushing her to the hospital, finding out that…

He shook his head, not giving his mind any chance to make him emotional at the moment. "I can't let Marinette see that," he said. "She's already hurting enough as it is."

Without hesitation, he sat their stuff down in the floor and threw their pillows on top of it. He took the blanket off and then stripped the sheet away from the mattress. He sighed a bit when he saw that the blood had bled through to the mattress underneath. "Well, that's just great," he said.

"Maybe once you put another sheet on top of it, no one will even notice," Plagg said, observing.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Adrien said as he threw the sheet into their hamper. "Maybe I'll go with a different color, too."

He went over to their closet and pulled out a silky maroon sheet. Making beds was something he learned to do a bit later in life and he absolutely loved it. He threw the sheet across the mattress, making sure to tuck it in on all corners. Once he straightened up the comforter and placed the pillows back in their respective spots, he stood back to admire his work. "I did a pretty good job, didn't I?", he asked, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Yeah you did, kid," Plagg said. He stuck his head out of the door, moving his ears around. "Hey, those two have been pretty quiet, haven't they?"

Adrien turned his head towards the door, listening intently. "Yeah, I suppose they have," he said. He let his feet glide across the carpet as he walked towards the door. The only sounds that could be heard from the living room were from a cartoon playing on the television.

He made his way out into the living room; his socks sliding across the wooden floor. "Marinette?", he said in a low voice. When there was no answer, he walked slowly until he was against the back of the couch. He craned his neck over the back and his lips curled into a little smile at the sight before him.

There was Marinette, whose eyes were closed as she laid on the couch. She laid on her side with her legs curled up as she used one of the pillows underneath her head. Up next to her head laid Tikki, who was also curled into a little ball.

Adrien couldn't help but let out an audible, "aww." Plagg came over and sat down on the back of the couch, looking down. "Well, I guess that's kind of cute," he said.

Without saying anything else, Adrien grabbed a throw blanket from the table and went around to the other side of the couch. He stretched it out before placing gently across Marinette, watching as she smiled a little in her sleep.

He knelt down and gently patted the blanket down, tucking her in and making sure she was nice and toasty. She responded to his touch by sinking into the blanket more and pulling it over her shoulder.

Adrien admired her face. She always had such softness in her features, mostly her skin. The way it glistened in the light that peeped through the windows made her glow. He loved the way her hair fell in her face, even now that she had it pulled back into a messy bun.

He reached out and brushed the loose hairs out of her face, caressing her cheek as his cold skin met the warmth of hers. Marinette unconsciously leaned into his touch, filling his body with a tingly sensation.

Leaning forward, he gently pressed his lips to her forehead. "I love you, my sweet Marinette," he whispered. He stood up, his eyes still gazing upon her sleeping form.

The happiness he felt in that moment gave him temporary relief. The two of them had been through so much in the last couple of days, so he could stay calm knowing she was finally getting the rest she needed.

The urge to yawn came over him. He stretched his arms over his head and rubbed his eyes beneath his glasses. "Aww, someone else is sleepy," Plagg said.

"I could go for a nap," Adrien said. Before he could make his way back to his bedroom, though, his ears picked up a knock at the door. He and Plagg exchanged glances. "Who could that be?"

As he walked over to the door, Plagg went to lay beside Tikki. He tried his best to look like a stuffed doll.

Adrien opened the door and was immediately brought into a hug. There was little air left in his lungs from how hard he was being squeezed. "Nino? Is that you?", he asked, his voice hoarse.

Nino pulled back to look at his best friend. "Of course it's me, my dude!", he said, stepping aside to reveal Alya behind him.

"And Alya!", Adrien said before quickly looking behind him. "Oh, sorry, we kind of have to be quiet because Marinette is sleeping."

Alya and Nino looked into the house, noticing her sleeping form on the couch. "Aww, poor girl is probably exhausted," Alya said. "Also, can I please use your bathroom real quick?"

Adrien nodded. "Yes, of course," he said, stepping aside to let her walk past him. "So, how's everything been with the whole…you know."

Nino raised a brow. "The what?", he asked, confused. Then it dawned on him and his eyes widened. "Oh, you mean her pregnancy."

"Yeah, sorry I just," Adrien said, his voice trailing off a bit. "It's a bit hard to say that word right now."

His best friend bowed his head. "After what you guys have been through, totally understandable," he said. "As for Alya though, she's been doing pretty well. The doctor told us it's pretty rare to carry twins to full term, but she's managed to do it like a pure badass."

Adrien laughed a little at that. "Knowing her, that doesn't surprise me one bit," he said. He gestured for him to come inside. "Come on, it's too hot out there."

Nino obliged and stepped inside so that Adrien could close the door behind him. "You guys have it nice and chilly in here," he said. "Feels nice."

"Yeah, we like it that way," Adrien said. "Gives Marinette a reason to wear her fuzzy socks too." He pointed to the sleeping figure on the couch.

"Aw," Nino sighed, looking at her. "She's been through the ringer." Even while asleep, she still had very visible bags under her eyes. He then turned back to Adrien. "Which reminds me, how are you doing, bro?"

Adrien felt him place a hand on his shoulder, Nino's eyes turning soft behind his glasses. "I-I'm fine," he said. "Don't worry about me."

Nino pulled back a bit. "You hesitated there, but I won't push," he said. "Just know that if you need to talk about anything, I'm here."

Adrien reached out and patted him on the back. "Thank you, Nino," he said. "Honestly, right now I just really need to take my mind off things."

His best friend nodded. "I hear that," he said. He moved his head upward in thought. "Say, how long's it been since we had a day all to ourselves?"

Adrien tapped his chin. "Can't remember," he said. "It's always the four of us hanging out."

"Exactly," Nino said, moving to stand beside him. "So what do ya say we go out into the city for a bit, eh? You and Marinette hardly ever come back to Paris anymore."

"We do sometimes, like when we visit her parents," Adrien corrected him. "But I suppose it could be fun to venture back out for a little while."

Nino threw an arm around his neck, pulling him into a bit of a headlock. "That's my bro," he said. "And it works because we can leave the girls here for a little while. Alya can watch Marinette and I'm sure those two have _a lot_ to talk about."

Adrien glanced at his sleeping wife once again. "Yeah, you're probably right," he said. "Just go let Alya know that we're leaving."

"Will do," Nino said, patting him on the back before going down the hall to the bathroom.

Adrien walked over to the couch and crouched down in front of Marinette. "I know you can't hear me right now, but I love you and I'll be back soon," he whispered while gently rubbing his fingers over her hair. "Have a good time with Alya. You two probably have a lot to catch up on." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before standing up.

Nino came back into the living room, followed by a waddling Alya. "Alright, let's go," he said, gesturing to the door. "Today is for the bros."

"Have fun, you two," Alya said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Don't cause too much trouble." She laughed before looking at Adrien. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of her."

"I know you will," Adrien said, flashing her a smile. "Come on, I'm ready."

Alya watched as the two men headed out the front door. Thoughts of her two best friends ran through her head. She knew that Adrien was one to keep his feelings to himself, so she suspected this was Nino's way of trying to coax him. She also knew she could be completely wrong and that he just wanted to help cheer him up a bit.

As she looked over at her sleeping best friend, though, she felt a deep hurting in her heart. Once Marinette woke up, Alya would be entering a cove of emotions. She knew how emotional she could get and considering the circumstances, this would be a wave unlike any other they have faced together.

Alya would be there for her best friend no matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Told ya this one was a bit short. I'll admit that there was a bit more I wanted to do here, but I felt that it would also be nice to just have a cute, relaxing chapter. I hope y'all enjoyed it anyway. Until next time!


	6. Relaxing Day Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry this one took so long. Like I mentioned in the last update, I was working on some stuff for a zine and so I made it a priority to finish that first. I also just recently lost my job soooo yeah. But to me that just means now I have time to work on more stuff! This one was really fun to write too, so enjoy!

When Marinette woke up, she was back in her bed. The bright light shined through the windows as the morning sun began to rise. She looked next to her to see that Adrien's side of the bed was empty.

Her ears picked up sounds coming from just outside their door, in the living room. As she sat up and stretched, the sounds became a bit clearer.

It almost sounded like a child laughing. She figured it was probably Adrien watching some kind of cartoon on the television and so she let the sounds run past her ears. She turned to look at the table next to her bed.

Tikki and Plagg were both gone from their usual spot, which would seem unusual, but they could've went off in search of snacks.

Finally, she threw the covers off of herself and flung her feet over the side of the bed. The mirror from the vanity on the other side of the room showed her reflection.

She had bags under her eyes, which was unsurprising with how little sleep she had gotten in the last few days. She thought of how sweet it was for Adrien to let her sleep undisturbed.

As she stood up, she noticed something felt…off. There was a strange pulling at her stomach, almost as if she were…

Looking down at herself, she let out a gasp when she saw the protruding bump on her stomach. Her hands instinctively flung to it as her disbelief grew. Going to the full length mirror next to the vanity, she examined herself.

Indeed, she had a decently sized baby bump. She lifted up her gown to make sure this wasn't some awful prank that her husband had played on her. She expected to see one of those fake pregnancy bellies, but this one was completely attached to her.

"How…how could this be?", she left herself say out loud. From the door next to her, she could still hear the sounds of laughter in the next room.

She opened the door just enough for her to peek out. Part of her felt ashamed, yet confused. Had everything she had just experienced in the last few days just been some awful nightmare?

Through the small opening, she could see Adrien's head peeking up from the top of the couch. A wave of relief flowed through her as she noticed that the television was also on.

She opened the door all the way, preparing to walk up to him and hopefully get some kind of explanation as to what was going on. Her feet glided across the hardwood flooring as she made her way over to the couch.

As she stood behind the couch, she felt her eyes widen in disbelief at what she saw. Adrien was indeed watching cartoons, but he wasn't alone. Sitting next to him was a little boy, no more than maybe two or three years old.

Her confusion peaked as thoughts racked her brain. She couldn't remember agreeing to babysit for anyone. There was the possibility that Adrien took it at last minute while she was asleep, though.

Her lungs perked up as she spoke again. "Adrien," she called out to him, causing him to turn around.

"Oh hi, sweetie," he gave her a warm smile. "Did you sleep well?"

"I um," her eyes wandered over to the little boy, who was also looking at her. "Yes, yes I did."

The boy's smile widened, something about it feeling so…familiar. His hair was dark, nearly the same color as hers. His eyes were a beautiful emerald green; the kind that shined in the light.

Something clicked in her brain as her heart jumped.

"Good morning, Mama," the boy stood up on the couch, reaching his hands out to be hugged.

Everything felt as if it were spinning suddenly. Now she knew why his smile was so familiar. It was the same smile that had brightened her day for all those years.

The one that belonged to the love of her life.

"H-Hi," she spoke gently to her "son", trying to make things seem familiar. "What are you doing?"

"Papa is letting me watch cartoons today," he jumped excitedly, making Adrien grab him so that he didn't fall off.

"Hugo here has been a good boy lately," Adrien stood up, his son still in his arms. His eyes moved down towards her stomach. "How's my other baby been?"

Marinette looked down at her stomach, her breath hitching as it began to jump from the outside. "T-The baby? It's fine," she said. "Don't worry."

"That's good," he walked over to her, still holding Hugo in his arms. "I've just been a bit worried about you lately." He reached out a hand to caress her cheek.

Beads of sweat formed on her skin. "R-Really? H-How come?", she inquired.

"I just…I've had this feeling lately that something isn't right with you," he put his son down, who then went off to play somewhere. "With us. Tell me, Milady."

He stepped closer to her; their faces almost touching as he used a finger to move her chin up to face him. "Are you happy with me?"

She gulped, feeling a knot forming in her throat. "Yes, of course, I am," she grabbed his hand. "I love you, Adrien."

Adrien stepped back, moving his head downwards. "Then why won't you tell me the truth?", tears began forming in his eyes. "We have an incredible life together. We have our beautiful son and soon our beautiful daughter. We fight evil together and risk our lives for each other. Isn't this everything you've ever wanted, Marinette?"

She felt her heart sink in her chest. "Of course it is," she stepped forward and placed a hand on his cheek. "Adrien, listen, I love you more than anything in the world. I've never wanted anything more than to start a family with you and have our beautiful children."

He looked up at her with teary eyes. "Then please, if you truly love me like you say you do," he took her hand off of his face. "Be honest with me. I know you're afraid of hurting me, but I can take it." He stepped forward and gave her a kiss on the lips. "Because I love you, too."

Marinette felt tears forming in her own eyes as the scenery around them suddenly began to change. Their living room was exchanged for the bleak hospital walls. She found herself laying down in a bed, while Adrien was sitting next to her.

"A-Adrien, how did we get here?", she looked around the room. Looking down at herself, she noticed that her mysterious bump had now vanished.

"You don't remember?", he asked, a confused look on his face. "You lost our baby."

Ah, now _that_ seemed more normal. "I-I had a miscarriage, yes, but-"

She was interrupted by Adrien. "Yes, and it was all your fault," he stood up, a crazy look forming on his face. "You were their mother and you were supposed to protect them. But you didn't. And now we may never get to have our chance at having a family together."

Tears began streaming down her cheeks. "Why…why would you say something like that?", her voice broke. "You're not the man I married."

"Oh, really?", he came closer to her. "Is that why you're so afraid of me? Afraid that I'll leave you? Afraid I'll blow up in your face?"

She shook her head. "N-No, not at all," she said. "B-But I know my Adrien and you're definitely not him."

"How can you be so sure?", said "Adrien". "Maybe you don't know me as much as you think you do. Is that why you're afraid of me? Why you lie to me?"

Her heart began beating faster in her chest as adrenaline pumped through her. She followed her instinct by throwing the covers off of her and immediately jumping out of the bed. Throwing open the door, she could hear him following her as she began to run.

"Tsk, tsk, always running," Adrien's voice echoed through the hallway. "I'm your husband and you're running from me. If only you'd talk to me then none of this would be happening."

Her bare-feet pounded against the concrete floor beneath her as she ran as fast as she could. The hallway was never-ending. Adrien's voice continued to echo in her ears as he called out her name.

"Marinette…Marinette…MARINETTE"

* * *

"Marinette, please wake up."

Her eyes shot open to see Alya standing above her. She immediately noticed the cold beads of sweat covering her body. Her eyes examined the room around her. The familiar scent of her house filled her nose, giving her a sense of relief within her anxiety filled brain.

"Oh my goodness, are you okay?", Alya put a hand on her shoulder, looking at her best friend with soft eyes.

That was when her brain clicked. A dream. It had all been a crazy, horrible nightmare. Tears welled up in her eyes and she was immediately wrapped in Alya's embrace.

"No, no I'm not," Marinette wrapped her own arms around her best friend. She didn't even take the time to question her presence. It didn't matter to her. "Alya, I had the worst dream ever."

"Do you want to talk about it?", Alya asked as she stroked her sweaty hair.

Marinette nodded and sat back on the couch. "It started off fine. I was…I was pregnant and Adrien and I had," her voice cracked a little. "We had a son. He was so cute." She looked at Alya with tears in her eyes. "He looked just like Adrien, but he had my hair."

All Alya could offer was a small smile. "Then what happened?"

It was hard for Marinette to keep the tears from falling down her cheeks. "Then Adrien, he…he asked me why I keep lying to him. Then we were back in the hospital and-and," she let out a sob. "He told me that it was my fault we lost the baby. That we may never have children together and it's all my fault."

"Oh, sweetheart," Alya pulled her best friend into another hug, where Marinette began sobbing into her shoulder. "I may not know much about what's going on between you two right now, but I know within my heart that Adrien would never say such cruel things."

She tightened her grip on Alya's neck. "That's the thing," she spoke between sobs. "I know Adrien would never say things like that. He's the sweetest, most caring person I know. Hell, I fell in love with him because he went out of his way to be nice to me."

Alya leaned back so that she and Marinette were facing each other. "Well, if your dream is anything to go by," she wiped a tear from her best friend's cheek. "I'm guessing there's some kind of issue you're having with him?"

Marinette sniffled. "Y-Yeah, you could say that," she sat up straight. "Ever since we…" she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Since we lost the baby, he's been so supportive of me. My mom told me that he refused to leave my side when I passed out. He was so worried about me, Alya."

Alya felt fluttering kicks from her stomach. "That sounds just like Adrien," she smiled as she placed a hand on her belly. She noticed her best friend's gaze as she spoke. "But, that's just the problem, isn't it?"

"Well…it's not exactly a _problem_ ," Marinette wiped her eyes. "He's been such an amazing support for me these last few days. I think the issue, though, is that, well…" Taking a deep breath, she spoke once again. "On the night I had the miscarriage, I kind of, sort of heard Adrien say something that made me upset."

Alya felt a lump form in her throat. "Oh no, was it something terrible?"

Marinette shook her head. "Not exactly. It was actually something I should've expected from someone like Adrien," she felt a frown form on her lips. "He thought I was asleep and well, he said that he wants to be strong for me. I know he's hurting too, but, I dunno…" she grabbed a piece of her hair and began tugging at it. "It kind of makes me feel like he doesn't care, ya know?

Alya's heart ached for her best friend. She was one of the first people to find out that Marinette had a crush on Adrien, way back when they were in collège. She had always hoped one day they'd end up together. Seeing this rift form in their relationship really was like a kick to the gut. "If this is the same Adrien we've known for years, then I can guarantee you that he loves that baby just as much as you did, er, do," she said. "You guys have known each other for years; I know he'll understand if you just talk to him."

"I know, you're right. I guess I've just been feeling so stressed lately. My body still feels exhausted, I'm wearing a freaking diaper," she let herself laugh a little. "Everything just feels so messed up right now, Alya."

"Things will take time to get better. You should just rest and spend time with Adrien," Alya said. "Who knows? Maybe he'll have a change of heart and open up to you on his own."

"I hope you're right," Marinette said. "Thank you so much for being my best friend."

Alya pulled her into another hug, even if her large bump refused to let her fully lean in. "It's no problem at all, girl," she said. "I'm just happy to see you awake."

"Speaking of Adrien," Marinette pulled back from the hug. "Where is he?"

"Oh, well, Nino and I came over to check on you two since we heard about what happened," Alya began to explain. "And he and Nino took off somewhere. Didn't say where they were going, but I'm guessing they really wanted to let you sleep."

Marinette laid back down on her pillow. "They're too sweet," she smiled to herself. "How did we get blessed with such sweet husbands?"

"Beats me, but I'm glad for it, too," Alya returner her smile. "Now, they left me in charge of you, so anything you need is my command."

"Duly noted."

* * *

"Okay, seriously, where are you taking me?"

Adrien tightened the seatbelt around his shoulder as he watched Nino continue to drive around every corner of Paris, just as he had been doing for the last half hour.

"You'll see, my dude," he looked away for one second before turning his eyes back to the road in front of him. "It's gotta be around here somewhere."

Adrien kept his eyes on the window next to him, watching the buildings go by. At first he had thought they were going to the Dupain-Cheng Boulangerie, but that was quickly passed not long ago.

The hum of the air conditioning blowing in his face, along with Nino's continuous driving, was enough to make his eyes feel like tugging closed.

With a yawn, he laid his head against the window.

Nino looked over to see his best friend trying to nap, to which he snickered. "Aw come on, don't sleep yet," he chuckled. "We're almost there."

Despite Nino's words going straight through Adrien's ears, he could only hear the familiar melody playing just outside the car. Lifting his head up, he looked out the window to see none other than André, who was busy setting up his famous ice cream stand.

"That explains all the driving," Adrien sat up and rubbed his eyes. He tried to remember the last time he had had André's famous ice cream. It was something he and Marinette always tried to do if he happened to be around while they were in the city.

"Yep, this guy is so hard to find sometimes," Nino said as he parked the car. "I figured you could use a little something, especially with it being so damn hot outside."

Adrien gave his best friend a smile. "Yeah, it's been a little while since I last had any, too," he unbuckled his seatbelt and opened his door.

André had set up his stand just underneath the Eiffel Tower. The line was a bit long as usual, but it was always worth the wait.

Nino parked his car on the street just nearby, so they had to walk a little ways to get up there. "Know what kinda ice cream you're gonna get this time?", he asked Adrien as they walked.

"Just whatever André decides to give me," he said. "I usually get strawberry, blackberry, and blueberry."

"My favorite is chocolate and cherry, but I'm cool with anything," Nino stopped walking as he noticed they were at the end of the line. "Look, now we're _actually_ here."

Adrien stood next to him. It was very rare to see him without even the smallest smile on his face, so it was no surprise to him that the boy was indeed smiling. Nino knew his best friend well enough, though, that he could always manage to tell when he was faking it.

The curls of his lips seemed more forced, rather than natural. The way he fiddled around in his pockets was also a clear indicator to him that something wasn't right.

"Hey, Adrien," he spoke to him in a soft voice. "Are you okay?"

His best friend looked up at him with the same smile. "Yes, I'm okay," he said. "I just want some ice cream."

Even though he could hear the faintest sound of dishonesty in his voice, he decided to trust Adrien. "Well, we don't have to wait much longer," he pointed to the stand, showing him that they were next in line.

André's face lit up when he saw the two young men before him. "Ahh, bonjour Monsieur Nino, Adrien," he spoke to them in a singsong voice. "It is so good to see you both again."

Adrien's face changed, this time with a smile that seemed more genuine. "It's great to see you, too, André."

"Who wants to go first?", his eyes moved back and forth between them. "Perhaps our father-to-be over here, hmm?"

His eyes pointed at Nino, though Adrien felt himself try to step up. He watched as his best friend stepped in front of him, but not without giving him a worried side glance.

Nino tried his hardest not to frown, even though he could feel the hurt radiating from Adrien next to him.

Adrien tried his best to hold himself together, even with the feeling of tears ready to poke at his eyes at any given moment. Taking a few deep breaths, he kept his eyes facing forward and waited patiently for his own turn.

"How is Madame Alya doing, hmm? I bet she's at home resting," André asked Nino as he scooped up his ice cream. "I bet you're both ready for those babies."

Nino smiled at the man, though he found himself still glancing back at Adrien. "Yes, sir," he said proudly. "We've only got a few weeks left."

André laughed. "Well, when they're old enough, be sure to bring them by for their very first scoop of ice cream," he grabbed his scoop and filled the cone with three scoops. "Here, I gave you an extra one today. Chocolate and strawberry to remind you of your dear Alya, and a scoop of cotton candy for your twins."

Nino grabbed the ice cream from him. "Merci, André," he said. "I'll be sure to do that once they're old enough." He stepped back so that he was standing next to Adrien. Looking at him, he noticed that he was staring down at his feet with his hands still in his pockets.

Without saying anything, he placed his free hand on his shoulder, causing Adrien to look at him. Nino offered him a small smile before nudging him to move up.

"Come on, don't be shy Monsieur Adrien," André gestured at him with his scoop. Adrien stepped up to the cart, mustering up a smile for the man. "It's good to see you again, it's been so long."

"Yeah, um, I only really come to the city for work and you're usually not here by the time I get done," Adrien told him. "I've missed your ice cream, though."

"And I have missed you too, dear Adrien," he said. "Tell me, how is Madame Marinette?"

Adrien shifted on his feet. "She, um, she's been kind of sick," he felt his throat becoming dry. "That's why she's not here with us."

"Aww, well, give her my well wishes for me, okay?", André gave him a smile as he grabbed a cone and his scoop. "Now what would you like today? Your usual?"

Adrien nodded. "Yes, sir," he said. "That'll be perfect."

The man scooped up three scoops of ice cream and placed them in the cone. "Blackberry for her hair, blueberry for her eyes, and strawberry for those lovely lips that you love to kiss," he winked as he handed the ice cream to Adrien, who let out a little giggle. "I hope your dear Marinette gets to feeling better soon. Maybe the two of you could make a trip out here to get some ice cream."

"That sounds like a great idea," Adrien said. "Merci, André."

"You're very welcome," he said. "Now tell me, are you and dear Marinette thinking about having a child of your own, too? Like your best friend over here."

Adrien froze in his place. Any happy feelings he had before that moment completely vanished. He could feel Nino placing a comforting hand on his shoulder as he tried to push back the tears poking at his eyes. Clearing his throat, he said, "Um, uh, yeah, we've talked about it." He stuck his free hand in his pocket and looked down at his shoes. "M-Maybe one day."

André smiled at him. "Well, I wish you both the best of luck."

Nino squeezed his shoulder and he turned around. As they began to walk away, he felt his best friend wrap an arm around his shoulders. "It's okay," he patted his back gently. "Let's just go find somewhere to sit."

Adrien obliged and followed his friend over to a nearby bench. He reluctantly sat down and took a nibble of his ice cream, but even that wasn't enough to cure the sinking feeling in his stomach. He reached under his glasses and wiped his eyes.

Nino also began eating his ice cream, but he never took his eyes off of Adrien. One thing he had learned about him over the years is that he's not much of a talker when he's sad. That meant he had to do the talking. "Hey, buddy, I'm gonna be honest with you," he placed a hand on his knee and pulled at his jeans. "I didn't really bring you here for the ice cream. Well, I mean, I did but, I also just wanted a place where we could talk." Adrien finally looked at him. "Look, I know how you are when it comes to your feelings and so, I want you to know that you don't have to hide anything from me, okay?"

Adrien nodded before sticking another spoonful of ice cream in his mouth.

"What you and Marinette just went through…man, I can't even imagine how painful it must be," Nino continued, though trying to be conscious of his words. "I can see right now that you're trying to hide your tears. It's okay to cry, Adrien."

Adrien slumped in his seat, taking in every word his best friend had just said. "You're right, Nino. It _is_ okay to cry," he could feel the corners of his eyes begun to itch. "But the thing is that, I don't know, I just…"

"Let me guess, it's Marinette, isn't it?"

He nodded. "Y-Yeah," his lips began to quiver as he thought back to his wife. "I-I've been so scared these last few days, Nino." He finally let a few tears drip down his cheeks. "Seeing her in that hospital bed, so weak and nearly lifeless. Hearing her screams on the night that…" He gulped and sat his ice cream down next to him. "On the night that we lost our baby."

Nino put his own ice cream down next to him before extending his arms and pulling his best friend into a hug. "I am so, so sorry," he squeezed his arms around Adrien. "Just let it all out."

Adrien laid his head on Nino's shoulder as he let out a few small sobs. "I-I can't tell Marinette," he said, his voice breaking. "She's been through so much and the last thing I want is for her to stress out even more."

Nino contemplated on what to say to him. Adrien and Marinette had always had such an amazing relationship. He knew deep in his heart that Marinette wouldn't be upset with anything Adrien had to tell her because she cared about his feelings, too. "I know it's hard because you love her and you want to make sure she's taken care of," he told him. "I have a wife too and I feel the same exact way about Alya. If anything happened to her or to the babies, well, I don't know what I'd do with myself."

He sat up and brought Adrien along with him. "If there's one thing I _do_ know, though, it's that Marinette loves you as much as you love her," he gave his best friend a soft smile. "I'm sure she would sit and listen to anything you have to say. You guys are married now, you need to talk about things."

Adrien used a napkin to wipe his eyes from behind his glasses. "Yeah, y-you're right," he said. "I'll talk to her, but not right now." He sniffled and picked up his ice cream again. "Thank you, Nino."

Nino picked up his own ice cream and put a spoonful in his mouth. "Anything for my best buddy," he nudged Adrien with his arm. "Now come on, eat up before that stuff melts. It's like liquid gold around here."

* * *

Marinette sat at the coffee table as she flipped through her sketchbook. Behind her, Alya laid on the couch with her feet propped up.

"Ooh, whatcha got there?", she crooned her neck to try and catch a glimpse.

"It's nothing, really," Marinette said. "Back a few weeks ago, not long after…ya know, I was working on some stuff for Adrien." She stood and sat back on the couch. "I dunno, maybe I should go back to them."

"It could be a really good way to take your mind off of things, girl," Alya said. "Besides, I know Adrien will love whatever you come up with, too."

Marinette looked back at the pages in front of her. Although Adrien's current caterer was teaching, he still loved to model for her website every now and then. "My shop _has_ been a bit slow lately, so maybe I'll whip up some of these for prototypes," she flipped to the next page and admired the drawing on the page. It was of a dress shirt and pants set, inspired by her husband of course. "Adrien also loves any chance to whip out the camera."

"Yeah, that's a great idea," Alya sat up and looked at the book with her. "It'd be something fun the two of you could do together, too."

_Click!_

The young women looked up to see their husbands coming through the door. "Hello, ladies!", Nino announced as Adrien walked in behind him. "Did you two have fun?"

"If by 'fun' you mean resting my feet because these little munchkins have got me swollen everywhere," Alya lifted up her feet. "Then yes, we did."

"That's great," Adrien said. His gaze shifted over to Marinette, who gave him a small smile. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, I did," she said. "I feel a lot better."

He walked over and stood behind the couch, where he leaned down and wrapped his arms around her neck. "That's all I wanted to hear," he laid his head on top of hers and closed his eyes. "I missed you so much."

She sat down her sketchbook and placed a hand on top of one of his. "Aw, I missed you too, mon cher."

Nino walked over to Alya and gave her a kiss on her hair. "I know what you're gonna ask," he said. "Yes, I missed you, too."

She shook her head before grabbing his hand. "I wasn't going to say that," she gave him a half-smile. "But I'm glad you did because I missed you, too."

He looked over at Marinette and Adrien, who still seemed to be entranced by each other. "Sorry to cut in, but I think it's time for us to go now," Nino told them as he helped Alya stand up. "It was really nice hanging out with you today, dude."

"I had a great time, too," Adrien said, arms still wrapped around Marinette. "It was nice."

"We have a doctor's appointment in the morning," Alya rubbed her belly. "Want us to let y'all in one the deets?"

Marinette nodded. "Oh! Yes! Of course!", she said. Despite everything that had happened to her recently, she still found it in herself to be excited for her best friends. "Have a safe drive back home."

As their best friends waved and went out the door, Adrien stood up straight and stretched his arms. "I feel like changing into my comfy clothes now," he said before turning around. "I'll be back."

She picked up her sketchbook once again. "Alright, I'll see you when you get back."

As Adrien's footsteps echoed throughout the room, she began looking through her sketches once again. The shirt and pants she had designed for Adrien also came with a matching dress. She smiled to herself as she looked at the detail she gave even her roughest sketches.

All the ruffles had already been placed on it, along with the polka dotted pattern. She always loved putting in a hint of her alter ego into her designs, while still keeping herself concealed. Her eyes moved to the arm of the couch to see that the kwamis were still fast asleep.

As she flipped the page, though, she felt a sinking in her heart. On the page were more concepts she had sketched down. She always tried to at least draw out roughs of her ideas so that she wouldn't forget, but this was one she wished she had.

On the page were concepts for clothing befit for a baby. Not just any baby though. It would have been for her child. There were sketches of little hats that could be embroidered with their name and booties to match. She had written in her notes that she'd thought of other things like blankets and onesies too.

Her eyes began to water, which made her close the book as to not get any of the pages wet. Designing clothing was something she had loved since she was a child and it was always something that seemed to calm her down, even when she was at her worst.

This time; however, it left nothing but a feeling of coldness and anguish within her. She brought her knees up to her chest and curled up into a little ball right there on the couch.

It was then that the footsteps returned and she opened her eyes just long enough to see Adrien standing before her.

"Marinette? Sweetheart? What's wrong?"

She lifted her head up to see him kneeling down in front of her. "A-Adrien, I…I don't know," she said, her voice breaking.

He reached out a comforting hand and rubbed her hair. "It's okay," he said, soothingly. "We can figure it out together."

Wiping her eyes, she finally sat up. As she looked him up and down, she felt herself chuckle a little. "Sweetie, why are you in a towel?"

He returned her laugh. "That's why I came back in here," he stood up and reached out a hand to her. "Come on."

Grabbing his hand, she let him lead her into their bedroom. The lights were dimmed and the room smelled faintly of cinnamon. "Adrien…what are you doing?"

"You'll see," he stepped closer to her and whispered. "Close your eyes."

She obliged as she felt him urging her to keep walking forward. The texture beneath her feet changed from carpet to tile and she knew they were in their bathroom.

The scent of apples and cinnamon filled her nostrils. "Okay, open your eyes," she did as she was told and opened her eyes to one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen.

Adrien had made a bubble bath that smelled heavenly. The room was illuminated by the candles that sat around the edges of the tub. He completed it with red rose petals scattered around the floor.

"Chaton…why did you do all of this?"

"Well, I figured maybe the both of us could use a little relaxation," he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "It seems like all the alone time we've had lately was spent worrying about things." He gave her a few kisses on her neck. "So I thought it'd be nice to let all those worries wash away with a nice, hot bath."

"I don't deserve you," Marinette leaned her head back into his chest, taking his soft touch.

"I could say the same thing about you, Milady," he let her go and stepped back. He let his towel fall down to the floor and kicked it away with his feet.

Adrien walked over to the bath and stuck one of his feet in the water. He reeled back a bit as the hot water stung his skin, but he gently put his other foot in. He found a spot in the corner of the tub and propped himself up on the small seat. "Come on in, the water is great," he splashed a little bit of water with his hand as he gestured for her to join him.

She lifted her shirt over her head and gently threw it down to the floor. She unclipped her bra and slid it off of her arms before letting it join her shirt down in the floor. Next, she unbuttoned her pants before kicking them off next to her other clothes. Finally, off came her panties before she walked over to the tub.

Marinette copied him by sticking in one foot to test the water. Her skin jolted from the heat, but she quickly stuck her other foot into the water. She looked down to see Adrien holding out his arms, so she grabbed his hands.

He pulled her down and put her directly on his lap. Her first instinct was to lean into his chest, letting their bodies be caressed by the steam as he rubbed bubbles all over her breasts. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her in as she laid on his chest.

"See? Isn't this nice?", his voice was soft and it gave her tingles in her spine.

"Oh yes," she let her lips flutter little kisses onto his pecs. "I could stay here with you all night."

He tightened his grip on her and put his face in her hair. "I'd love that."

For the next few minutes, they sat there and let themselves take in all the smells and warmth of their current environment. It wasn't often that they let themselves be somewhat intimate with each other, as they usually saved that for special moments.

Marinette loved it, though. She loved the way Adrien always made her feel so safe, especially when she was being caressed in his arms.

He ran his wet fingers through her hair and gave her kisses on her cheeks. "Feeling any better?"

"Oh, yes," she said. Her mind went back to the conversation she and Alya had earlier that day. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Anything"

"Do…do you think that it's my fault?", she asked with hesitance in her voice. "Do you think that maybe if I had done something different, that I'd still be pregnant right now?"

Adrien squeezed her tighter. "No, it wasn't your fault. I don't think there's anything either of us could've done," he said. "Believe me, I…I know how you feel." He laid his head on top of hers. "When my mom died, I blamed myself for such a long time. I thought that maybe I should've helped her more when she was sick. Or maybe I didn't love her enough."

"But you loved her so much, right?"

He nodded. "Yes, and I still do," he let a small smile grace his lips. "I think it's the same with our baby. Of course you'll think to blame yourself because of how much you loved them." He kissed her cheek. "But ultimately, we don't know what happened and sadly, we probably never will."

Marinette took a deep breath. "When did you get so philosophical?", she looked up at him.

"I'm a teacher! I studied philosophy in université for a bit," he said. "My point still stands, though." He grabbed her face in his hands and turned her towards him. "We miss our baby and we will always miss them. But we can't blame ourselves."

She leaned in and they shared a kiss. Marinette pulled back and said, "You're right, thank you, Adrien," she caressed his cheek with her hand. "That honestly makes me feel a lot better."

"Of course, anything for you, my lady," he said. "I know that things are really awful for the both of us right now, but we can get through it as long as we're together."

"We wouldn't have been chosen as superheroes if we couldn't," she said with a chuckle.

"Exactly."

As they continued to relax in their bath, Marinette felt a warmth in her heart. Although she knew that those negative feelings still lived within her mind, she couldn't find it in herself to dwell on them for very long. She had all the confidence in the world that Adrien would be more than understanding.

She just had to find it in herself to gather up the strength.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was a bit crazy, right? Also, I'm kind of tempted to make an alternate ending to this chapter, one that is a bit...lewd xD Please let me know if that is something y'all would be interested in and I might just do it. Anyway, thanks for reading and being so patient with me! Until next time!


	7. The Strength of Recovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I am back! I apologize for the long wait. I like to take little breaks in between chapters and I ended up taking a pretty long one. It was mostly due to the new movie, Miraculous World: New York that came out last month! It captured all of my hype, haha. Anyway, I also was reminded that the month of October is actually Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. Today, October 15th, is also Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day, so I figured it was the perfect time for a new update! Hope y'all enjoy this one.

The air in their room was crisp and smelled of roses. Towels laid on the floor beside their bed as the steam from the bathroom began to settle. Tangled in their sheets, a cloud of frigid air came over Marinette as she pulled the covers up farther. Even in deep sleep, she could detect her source of warmth. Her legs moved around rapidly as she tried to find it. Her arms scoured the pillows next to her, only to find them completely empty.

Her eyes opened and she tried to find her light in the darkness. The spot next to her was usually warm and smelt of delectable cologne. Now her hands could only find the faintest feeling of heat from the pillows.

She tried to calm the pounding in her heart. It wasn't unusual for Adrien to skedaddle in the middle of the night. Sometimes she'd find him out in the living room watching television because he didn't want to disturb her. Perhaps he was getting his midnight snack. She knew better than to worry.

A groan escaped her lips as a rush of blood flowed from between her legs. She threw the covers off of herself and sat up to turn on the lamp beside her bed. Tikki was still fast asleep inside of the drawer. Marinette took notice that a usual black fur-ball was also missing, but didn't think too much of it. Plagg also liked to accompany Adrien on his nightly visits to the fridge sometimes.

Getting out of bed, she stepped over the damp towels and made her way into the bathroom. Her hair was slick and still slightly damp from their bath a few hours prior. The light burned her eyes as she flipped the switch to illuminate the whole room. Her eyes darted over to their clothes still laying near the tub.

She went to the counter near the sink and grabbed another pair of disposable underwear before walking over to the toilet. It crinkled slightly as she walked and she could feel herself cringing on the inside. She pulled down her underwear and sat on the toilet, disposing of her soiled one in the trash next to her.

Once she had finished relieving herself, she wiped and flushed before slipping on a new pair of disposable underwear. She washed her hands and turned out the lights before walking back into their bedroom.

She turned towards the door, noticing it had been left cracked open. Part of her wondered what Adrien was doing up during this hour of night, but she figured maybe he was having trouble sleeping.

Instead of slipping back into bed, she let her curiosity run wild. She opened the door more to see that the house was exactly as they had left it. The television in the living room was off and the only light was coming from the kitchen.

Marinette slipped out of her bedroom and walked towards the kitchen. She hoped to see Adrien there, but a gasp escaped her lips when she noticed that the room was also empty. All that had been touched was the stove light they had left on earlier.

Her hands and eyes searched for a note. There was nothing. As she turned around and headed back to her room, her feet pounded the floor in anger.

"Tikki!", she yelled as she turned on the lights, watching as the red kwami awoke in surprise.

"Y-Yes, Marinette?", Tikki looked up at her charge with a gleam of worry in her eyes.

"Where is Adrien?", she asked, her voice raising a little.

"I don't know," said the kwami as she flew up to meet Marinette's eyes. "That is the honest truth."

Marinette looked back to the drawer from where the kwami came from. "Plagg," she pointed to it. "He's also gone."

Tikki tapped her chin. "Which means Adrien must be…"

A light went off in her charge's head. "I think I know where he is, but you'll have to help me find him."

"Oh, I don't know, Marinette," Tikki looked at her with big eyes. "You're still not fully recovered."

"It'll be alright, I mean it's not like I'm going to be fighting supervillains, right?", Marinette said before putting her earrings back in.

The kwami sighed. "Fine, but just so you can find Adrien," she resounded.

Marinette smiled before calling out, "Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

Despite being the middle of the night, Paris was still abuzz as usual. The lights from the Eiffel Tower and various businesses still kept it well illuminated.

The sound of leather boots smacking against the rooftops echoed throughout the night. Luckily for Chat Noir, his suit matched the darkness and he was easily indistinguishable from the shadows.

He made his way to his favorite rooftop. It was one that faced the Eiffel Tower. Somehow, listening to the sounds of cars and people chatting below was calming to him. In the middle of the night; however, he needed a bit of clarity.

The brisk summer air filled his nostrils as he finally sat down. He ran a hand through his damp hair, feeling his nerves going back down again as he took deep breaths.

He wasn't sure if the pounding in his chest was from the running or if he was actually having a panic attack. All he knew was that he needed to get far away from everything at that moment.

Alongside the pounding was an ache in his heart. He tried his best to hold back the tears currently welling up behind his mask. He could feel his mind begin to spiral and he tried so hard to push back the thoughts that were currently haunting him.

He nearly jumped in surprise when he heard two feet land behind him. His head swiveled around to see none other than Ladybug standing behind him with her hands on her hips. "Uh, hey there, Milady," he said in a nervous voice.

Even in the darkness, he could tell that her eyes were squinting at him. She heard him gulp and quickly let a smile spread across her lips. "Hey Kitty," she said in a soft voice. She heard air escape his chest and she sat down beside him.

He pulled at the zipper on his suit. "L-Look Marinette, I can explain," his cat ears turned downwards as he sunk into himself. "I'm really sorry for leaving you all alone in the middle of the night, but I…"

Before he could finish, she had already pulled him into a hug. She squeezed him tighter when she noticed his body begin to shake. "You needed some fresh air and didn't want to wake me, I get it."

He nodded. "Y-Yeah," he let out another deep breath. "So you're not mad?"

Ladybug shook her head. "No, I'm not," she pulled back to hold his chin in her hand. "I was a bit surprised, but definitely not mad."

"O-Oh okay, good," he gave her a little smile before turning back to face the front.

Her face softened and she placed a hand on his back. "Adrien, are you okay?"

Chat bit his lower lip and shook his head as he felt the tears returning to his eyes. "If I'm being honest? No, not really," he tried to mask the shakiness in his voice.

Ladybug felt something warm up inside of her, as if her worries for him had begun to resurface. "Do you wanna talk about it?", she leaned forward a bit to look at him.

"M-Maybe later," he used a gloved hand to wipe his eyes before looking down at his lap and fiddling with his fingers. "I just feel really bad for leaving you like I did. The last thing you need right now is to worry about me."

She began rubbing circles on his back. "Chaton, it's okay," she smiled at him in the darkness. "Please don't beat yourself up too hard."

"I'll try but…it's hard," he sniffled. "I thought everything was fine. We had that quiet moment in the bath where we talked about things. That was really nice." He put on a watery smile. "Next thing I know, I'm waking up in a cold sweat and my heart pounding in my ears."

"Sounds like you had another panic attack, mon cher," Ladybug said as she scooted in closer to him.

"I-I think so too, but all I know is that I couldn't think straight," he raised his voice a little. "I just knew I needed to get out of the house, so I transformed and ran off to the city as fast as I could."

She moved her hand upwards to play with his locks of blond hair. "Do you have any idea what caused it?"

That was when she knew she had asked the wrong question. He grabbed his knees and hid his face behind them, curling up into a little ball. The cries he had tried so hard to keep inside were now coming out in little sporadic sobs.

"I-It's y-you," his voice squeaked as he spoke. "I keep having these thoughts, these dreams, of you being taken from me. When you were in the hospital, I didn't know what to do with myself." He gasped for air, causing her to wrap her arms around him tightly. "We had already lost our child and-and I didn't want to lose you too."

"Adrien…", she whispered to him. "You don't have to worry about me." She pulled back and looked at him. "Look, I'm right here."

He turned to look at her with watery green eyes, with only the lights from the street illuminating the scene. "I know, and that's why I'm sorry for feeling this way," he wiped his eyes with a finger. "After I woke up, I looked next to me to see you still fast asleep. I was relieved, yet I still felt anxious somehow."

Ladybug grabbed his hand in hers and pressed his palm against her cheek. "I know anxiety is something you've struggled with before. It's okay," she reassured him. "I'm really happy you decided to talk about it. You should never apologize for how you feel."

"Well, of course," he gave her a half-smile. "You're not only my superhero partner, but also my wife and one of my best friends." He finally leaned over and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "I love you, Ladybug."

Ladybug felt some relief flow through her. Finally, she was beginning to see him open up just as she had hoped he would. It was a start, for sure. "I love you, too, Chat Noir."

He wrapped an arm around her back before laying his head on her shoulder. "I'm actually really happy you came out here to find me. I didn't want to enjoy this beautiful scene all on my own."

She chuckled. "Silly kitty, this bug _always_ goes after her cat."

* * *

Ladybug and Chat Noir made sure to get back home before the sun came up.

Marinette slid back into bed, letting herself relax against the cold pillows. She closed her eyes and listened to Adrien's footsteps as he walked into their bedroom. Her ear picked up the small sounds of Tikki and Plagg settling back into their drawer next to her.

Adrien's weight could be felt as he sat down next to her. His reluctance to lay down made her open her eyes, though it was hard to see him in the dark.

"Adrien, what are you doing?", her voice had a hint of sleep in it.

"I don't know if I can sleep," his voice sounded hoarse. "I just…have too much on my mind."

Marinette reached out and searched for his hand, grabbing it hastily and giving to a squeeze. "I would feel so much better if you'd lay here next to me," she whispered in her sweet voice that she knew made him melt. "I think you would too."

She was correct because he instantly felt his heart flutter as she spoke. "I can try," he whispered back. He laid down on his side so that he was facing her. Through the darkness, he felt her palms cup his cheeks as she pulled his face close to her own.

"You're shaking again, minou," she rubbed his cheeks with her thumbs. A whimper escaped his throat before he she placed a soft kiss on his forehead. "You're safe now."

Adrien turned and pulled the covers up over himself before turning back to face her. "I know," he said plainly.

Marinette propped herself up on one arm and used her free hand to rub circles on his bare chest. "Would it help if I cuddled you? That way you know I'm right here."

His eyes closed as he felt her fingers gently rubbing his chest. "Mhm," he mumbled as he felt her scooting closer to him.

She threw her arm limply across his chest before laying her head in the crook of his neck. Her skin warmed up as he wrapped his arms around her and pressed light kisses to her hair. It felt so nice to be in his arms once again.

"Feel any better, my prince?", she looked up at him in the darkness. Suddenly, her mind drifted back to last time. The last time they were huddled together like this in bed was…

She swallowed hard and hoped he wouldn't notice. Her own breath began to pick up before quickly trying to settle down by rubbing grabbing a few locks of Adrien's hair.

"Yeah…I'm okay," he whispered dazedly. His grip around her weakened as sleep overcame him.

Marinette sighed happily knowing he was finally finding some peace. She could tell it was getting harder for him to hide his feelings from her, which could end up being good or bad. She didn't know for sure.

Looking over to his bedside table, her eyes went to the alarm clock. It was nearly four in the morning. She sighed as she looked back up at her sleeping husband.

"You've got class in the morning, silly kitty," she whispered quietly as to not wake him up. In light of all the craziness their lives had brought them over the past few days, it was no surprise that they had forgotten about their work.

All she could hope for was that he wasn't _too_ tired for his students.

* * *

Adrien awoke abruptly as the sound of his alarm blared in his ears. Luckily, Marinette had moved back over to her own spot and was not met with the misfortune of being slung off of him as he sat up abruptly. His hand flung to the alarm clock and slammed down on it. He sighed as his ears thanked him for shutting off the source of the racket.

His head turned to the window next to him. The sun was beginning to rise, which was his cue to get up for-

_School_

A hand smacked his own forehead as he groaned. It completely slipped his mind that he was returning to work that day. Trying to ignore the ringing in his ears, he threw the covers off of himself and stood up. He remembered how happy he used to be in the mornings. Memories of his cheerful teenage self happily jumping out of bed flooded his mind.

He began to wipe the sleep from his eyes as he headed to the bathroom. Oh, if only he was still like his teenage self. He went over to the sink and looked at himself in the mirror. His disheveled blond hair and black circles under his red eyes said so much about how he currently felt.

He wondered if it was too late to call out again.

Though, there was a part of him that knew he needed this. He desperately needed a sense of normalcy and he knew it. He turned on the faucet and splashed some cold water in his face, which caused him to yelp out in surprise.

He used the toilet before heading back into the bedroom. With slight hesitation, he turned on the light. Marinette unconsciously reacted to it by turning over onto her stomach and covering her face.

Adrien went over to the closet and stared blankly at the clothing before him. His eyes darted between an orange or green short sleeved button up shirts. His instincts told him to choose green. He matched the shirt with a pair of khaki pants and gently tucked his shirt into them.

"Well, don't you look handsome."

He jumped when he heard Marinette speak. "Dang it, you got me again," he found it in himself to laugh.

With a yawn, she sat up in bed. "Maybe you're just a scaredy-cat," she laughed along with him. "But you really do look nice."

"Thanks," he turned back to the mirror in front of him, making sure his shirt was properly tucked. "Though I don't really feel all that great."

She tried to give him a comforting look. "I know, but maybe being back in the classroom with all of your students will help lift your spirits," Marinette got out of bed and slowly walked up to him. "Those kids need you, mon cher."

He felt himself relax as she came up behind him and threw her arms around his neck. "I know…I just…", He placed a hand on top of hers.

"Our lives have been crazier than usual and we both know it," Marinette came around and grabbed a tie off of the mirror. "I think this one would look good with your shirt."

He eyed the orange tie that she held in her hands. "I think so, too," he watched as she began to put it around his neck. "I just hope my students don't give me too much trouble today."

She smiled at him as she fixed his tie. "Your students love you," she tried to give him encouragement. "I know they do because how could they not love someone as sweet and patient as you, Mr. Dupain-Agreste?"

Adrien felt a familiar heat on his cheeks. "Way to jump to conclusions, Mrs. Dupain-Agreste," he smirked when he saw her faux angry expression.

"I mean it," she stepped back to look at her handy work. "You're so good with kids…really just people in general." She hesitated when she realized that she may have accidentally hit a sore spot.

He noticed her hesitation, but still gave her a swift kiss on the cheek. "I believe you, my lady," he said. "Now I need to finish getting ready."

Marinette stretched her arms above her head as she yawned. "Go and get ready, Mr. Handsome Man," she laughed as she walked back over to their bed. "I think I can sleep a bit more."

"Please do," he yelled from the bathroom. Walking over to the mirror, he looked at his messy hair. He honestly could not remember the last time he had brushed it in the last few days.

Marinette laid back down in bed, pulling the fluffy comforter over her cold body. She watched him from across the room as he brushed and slicked his hair back with a little gel. "Make it stick up a little," she raised her voice so that he could hear her. "It looks cute like that."

Adrien laughed and she smiled to herself in satisfaction. "What's with all this flirting this morning, my lady?" He combed through his hair once more before walking back into the bedroom.

She threw her head back on the pillows. "Nothing, I'm just telling the truth, that's all," she closed her eyes and yawned.

With a small smile on his face, he walked over and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Well, I appreciate it, my sweet," he caressed her face with a hand. "I'll be leaving soon, but please don't hesitate to call me if you need me to come home."

"I think I'll be okay," her voice was groggy. "I will take my medicine and the bleeding has almost stopped." She pulled her arms out from under the covers to grab his hand. "Go have a good day, Kitty."

Despite the faint pain in his heart that was still present, he knew Marinette was right. He couldn't spend his days huddled up in bed and crying his eyes out, even if that seemed favorable given the current situation.

"I'll try my best," he gave her a small smile before standing back up straight. Before leaving the room, he grabbed his glasses and turned off the light. "Sweet dreams."

Marinette waved a weak hand to him before relaxing back into her pillow. Adrien quietly shut the door behind him.

_Ding dong_

His attention turned towards the front door as the doorbell rang. _Who would be showing up here at seven A.M.?_ He thought to himself before walking to the door.

He stood back with hesitation as his hand hovered over the doorknob. He waited to see if it rang again.

It didn't.

Taking a deep breath, he turned the knob and swung the door open. To his surprise, no one was there. Instead, there laid a large gift basket on the doorstep.

He inspected the basket, only to find that it had the familiar _T &S _symbol on the side. Adrien now had the biggest smile on his tired face as he picked it up and brought it inside.

After sitting it on the coffee table, he picked up the note that was attached.

_To our favorite children,_

_The bakery has been busy, so we're sorry that we couldn't give this basket to you ourselves. We figured the two of you could use some tasty treats during these tough times. We will do our best to come visit soon._

_Love,_

_Tom & Sabine Dupain-Cheng_

He tried to stop his eyes from watering as he looked at the basket filled to the brim with pastries. There were many of Tom and Sabine's famous croissants and eclairs, as well as his favorite: chouquettes.

A black blur flew past his vision as Plagg zoomed into the room. "I smell something delicious~", he looked at the basket as his eyes met a familiar, yellow-colored tin.

"Oh, there's camembert in here?", Adrien picked up the container, which was quickly snatched up by the kwami. "They really _are_ the best."

Plagg was already munching on the stinky wheel of cheese. "Good thing you told them it was _you_ who liked it," he said with his mouth full.

Adrien shook his head. "Yes, of course," he looked down at his phone to see the time. "Well, sad that I can't stay and watch you devour that atrocious abomination." He laughed as he watched Plagg give him a dirty look. "But I've got to go if I want to make it to school on time. You and Tikki watch Marinette for me, okay?"

The kwami shook his head. "I'm sure she'll be fine," he threw his paws in the air. "She can take care of yourself. Try not to worry so much."

Adrien gave him a half-smile. "Too bad that's easier said than done, buddy," he grabbed his suitcase and the car keys from the table before heading out the door and locking it behind him.

Plagg shook his head as he stuffed more cheese in his mouth. "I really do worry about that kid sometimes."

* * *

The sound of her phone ringing echoed through Marinette's ears. She brushed away the crust in her eyes as she opened them and reached out for her phone.

She answered the call and put the phone up to her ear. "Hello?"

" _Hi sweetheart, did you just wake up?"_

She blinked and sat up when she heard her mother's voice. "Oh, hi mom," she yawned. "Yeah, I was sleeping, but it's okay."

" _Oh, sorry," Sabine said. "Did you at least sleep well?"_

Marinette tried to take her focus away from the pain currently pounding in her abdomen. "As well as you'd think," she chuckled. "It's nice to be back in my own bed."

" _Those hospital beds are awful, aren't they?", her mother's voice still sounded somewhat cheerful. "How are you feeling?"_

"I'm still bleeding and everything still hurts," she winced at her unintentional double entendre. "But I'm trying to hang in there."

" _That's my girl," she could tell her mom was smiling. "How's Adrien?"_

"He went back to work today," Marinette said. "He didn't want to go, but I told him he needed to."

" _I think it's good that he did. Maybe it'll help take his mind off of things. Speaking of which, have you two talked about things at all?"_

She thought back to their previous conversation as their superhero selves. "Kind of," her voice had a bit of hesitation. "I can tell that he's still worrying about me too much, but he has started to open up a bit more."

" _Oh, good. Maybe you two can get things sorted out. Also, have you seen the surprise your father and I sent you today?"_

Marinette's eyes widened and she threw the covers off of herself. "No, I have not," she got out of bed and went out into the living room. A smile crossed her face as she saw the large basket sitting on the coffee table. Next to it laid a kwami who was now in a food coma. She tried to keep herself from laughing. "Oh my gosh, Mama. You and Papa didn't have to do this."

" _We know, but you and Adrien deserve everything right now. We love you both so much and we thought it could help the healing process. Not just physically, but mentally too."_

She swore she shed a tear as she looked at the basket of treats and read the note attached. Her heart swelled and her hands began to shake as she put the phone back up to her ear. "Thank you so much, Mama," she tried to keep her voice from shaking. "Tell Papa I said 'thank you' too and that I love him."

" _We love you, too, sweetie," Sabine said. "The bakery is getting busy again, so I'll text you later. Goodbye, Marinette."_

"Okay, bye-bye, Mama," she clicked the red button on her screen and sat her phone down on the table. She wiped her blurry eyes to better examine what was in front of her. All the treats her parents knew she and Adrien loved had been put together so beautifully.

Plagg yawned and stretched inside of the empty camembert box. "I see you've found the holy grail," he said.

Marinette laughed as she noticed his belly sticking out. "I see you have, too," she smirked at him. "My parents are the best."

"They sure are," said the kwami, flying up to sit on top of a box of macarons. "It smells amazing."

She sniffed the air as the scent of her parents' bakery filled her nostrils. It reminded her of her childhood, when she'd wake up everyday and have the aroma of fresh bread and cake filling her room. It was a comforting feeling.

Her stomach growled, making her realize that she hadn't ate anything aside from hospital food for breakfast the day before. With all that had been going on, it had been easy to ignore her stomach.

As if on cue, Tikki flew out of the basket and handed her a macaron. "You look like you need some sweet treats, Marinette!", she said in her usual squeaky voice.

Marinette smiled at her kwami and took the macaron from her. "Thanks, Tikki," she looked at the treat in her hands. It was pink with white filling and smelled of strawberries. She took a bite and let out a sigh as the sweet flavor met her tongue.

Her phone vibrated on the table, lighting up with a message on screen. She picked it up and read over it.

 _Hey everyone, Alya here to remind you guys that my baby shower is coming up_ _**really** _ _soon! Next Saturday, in fact! Nino and I can't wait to see everyone come out and help us celebrate the impending arrival of our sweet babies._

Marinette sat her phone down on the table along with the macaron. The feeling of hunger that once resided in her stomach was now replaced with a feeling of dread. Her mind had completely blanked on her best friend's upcoming baby shower.

She sat back on the couch, throwing her head back against the cushions. This was something she had been looking forward to ever since Alya had announced her pregnancy.

All the happiness she had for her friend was being threatened to be conquered by anger. Jealousy. Maybe even a bit of sadness.

The pounding in her head returned and she reached over to grab one of her pills. After swallowing it promptly with some water, she went back to laying down on the couch.

The kwamis in front of her must've noticed her meek expression because they know floated next to her with worried looks on their faces.

"What?", Marinette hated how her voice came out a lot snarkier than she had intended.

"Marinette…it's okay," Tikki tried to comfort her. "We know that you want to be happy for Alya, but it's hard, isn't it?"

The tears that had been forming in her eyes finally managed to break out and roll down her flushed cheeks. "Gosh Tikki, you don't even know," she managed to say. "I hate everything right now. I want to be happy for Alya and Nino, too." Her voice squeaked with every word she spoke. "But I can't deal with these constant reminders of…of…"

She brought her knees up to her chest and collapsed into herself. Tikki and Plagg placed gentle paws on both sides of her back.

"It's only been a few days," Plagg said. "Your wounds are still fresh."

"Plagg is right," Tikki smiled at him for once. "You just experienced a loss. It's normal to be sad and angry."

Marinette lifted her head up, wiping her nose with a nearby tissue. "Maybe Adrien is right to worry about me," her voice became faint. "Look at me, I can't even be happy for our best friends without crying over something so…so stupid."

Tikki and Plagg looked at each other, silently wishing Adrien was there to take over on consoling her. They had become accustomed to dealing with human emotions over the many years they had worked with them, but this was the first time either of them were dealing with a situation like this.

Plagg tried to think of what Adrien would say to her. "Your feelings aren't stupid," he sat on her bare knee. "Maybe…maybe you should go do something else. Take your mind off of things."

"And I think you should talk to Adrien when he gets home too," Tikki said. "You need an actual human to talk to, not us."

Marinette wiped her eyes as she looked at the kwamis in front of her. "You're right," she said. "I…I think Adrien and I have some things we need to discuss anyway. Thanks for being here for me."

They gave her tiny hugs. "Anything for our lady," Plagg said, bowing.

Her eyes glanced to her sketchbook which still remained on the table. Remembering what happened last night, her hesitance to open it grew stronger. She took a deep breath and got up off of the couch.

Her legs led her to the hallway and into the room on the right. She stuck her head in and the scent of fabric paint quickly filled her nostrils. At the current moment, the spare bedroom was being used as her design studio. It was much like the old one she had as a teenager, but she's designed a lot of things since then.

Turning on the light, she stepped inside for what felt like the first time in forever. Her sewing machine sat on a desk near the window and rolls of fabric lined the back wall.

Pushing all of her emotions back for a moment, she took it all in. Not long after then moved in together, she and Adrien decided that it would be nice for the two of them to have their own spaces. Using the two extra bedrooms in the house, she turned into a design studio, which later also became the headquarters for her online boutique.

Adrien turned the other room into his study once he became a teacher full time. They both just needed quiet places where they could indulge themselves deep into their work. Eventually they had planned to use one of the bedrooms for their child and she knew it would be a fight, seeing as how both of them would easily give up their own space.

For now though, she hoped to relinquish some of her current sorrow and anger by throwing herself back into one of the many things in her life that brings her joy.

On her desk laid two items that caught her eye. She walked closer to examine them. Next to the sewing machine laid what would eventually become two little baby blankets. One was orange and on the fabric, she had made a spot where she would put a patch of a fox into the fabric. The other one was green and had the same spot, except this one would be for a turtle.

The blankets were already soft, but she planned to add some fleece to make them extra cozy for the upcoming winter. Thinking about how much her friends would love them did make her heart swell. She knew they'd also love the homage to their own alter egos. Alya and Nino had decided to learn the genders of the babies once they were born, so she wanted to keep things neutral.

Then her mind moved on to imagining her friends with their own babies. In just a few short weeks, there would be tiny little humans wrapped up in those blankets. Their tiny fingers and toes would be warm as they were laid down to sleep.

She loved how their faces lit up every time they mentioned their babies. The feeling of loving someone you haven't even met yet is a feeling she knew all too well.

Marinette had to stop herself. The tears welling up in her eyes burned with a mix of emotions. Thinking back to what the kwamis had said, she sat down in her sewing chair and took deep breaths.

"It's okay, Marinette," she said to herself. "This is your happy place." She picked up the orange blanket and examined it. The feeling of the fluffy material under her fingertips gave her a calming feeling.

She took another deep breath and placed it under the sewing machine, along with the next piece of fabric.

With every inch of fabric came another painful thought that racked her brain. The reminder that she was making something for a baby.

It didn't take long for her to notice the tears slowly falling down her cheeks. She let her hands move away from her sewing machine as she quickly turned it off.

Her back slammed against the back of her chair as she sat back, covering her eyes with her fists. "I…I can't do this," her voice was low and shaky.

It was then that she heard a familiar voice calling out to her.

"Marinette? Where are you?"

She cleared her throat and spoke up. "I'm in here!", she yelled out.

The sound of footsteps got closer and closer until she saw Adrien walk into the room. His expression changed from one of happiness to one of worry as he noticed her current state. "Hey, what's the matter?"

He came and knelt down next to her, placing a gentle hand on her thigh. "Adrien, I…I feel so stupid," she wiped her eyes before looking at him. "I thought that coming in here and working on some of my designs would help me, b-but then…"

Adrien looked at the blanket pieces laying on her desk. "Oh, are those the gifts for Alya and Nino?", his voice was genuine. "I think it's great that you're trying to work on them."

Marinette had to restrain herself from gritting her teeth. "No, Adrien, it is _not_ great," she didn't like the hint of snippiness in her voice, but it slipped out. "I can't even think about anything with babies without having a mental breakdown."

He rubbed her thigh with his hand. "Hey, look, it'll be okay," he tried his best to calm her down. "Maybe you can work on them later."

She took his hand off of her thigh and looked at him. "No, it _won't_ be okay," she said. "And frankly, I'm getting a bit tired of everyone saying that." She got up out of her chair. "Especially you."

Adrien took a step back as he tried to focus on what she was saying. "Me? But Marinette, I-I'm just doing what I've always done," he could feel beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "I'm trying to help you because you're my wife and I love you."

Marinette stepped in front of him. "So, do you think that makes it okay to lie to me?", she cocked an eyebrow at him. "All this time, I've been hurting and you've just been acting like everything is fine." The tears returned to her eyes. "Look Adrien, I heard you. The night we found out I was having a miscarriage."

He tried to think of what she was referring to. Everything since then had been a blur. Just thinking back to those recent events made his hurt heart. Then, something clicked in his brain.

Oh, and it made his heart sink.

"Oh…oh my gosh," he ran his fingers through his hair, a sudden realization taking place. "Marinette, I…", he sniffled as tears formed in his own eyes. "I never meant to hurt you. I'd never do anything to hurt you on purpose."

She knew he was right. Though that didn't stop the rage and pain from bubbling up to the surface. "I know you wouldn't, and that's what hurts the most," their tear-filled eyes met. "I've been avoiding this whole conversation because I care about you so, so much." She placed a hand on his cheek.

"Then what made you say it now?", he asked. "I'm sure I deserve whatever rage you're going to throw at me."

"Part of being a couple is that we need to learn how to resolve conflicts," she said. "Things are really hard right now and that's why I couldn't hold it in any longer." She took her hand off of his face. "I know you care about me, Adrien, but it hurts me that you neglect your own feelings. I know you're hurting too and if there's ever anything I did to make you feel unsafe with me, please just say it."

Whatever dam was holding his tears back, it finally broke loose. "N-No, you're right," he tried to smile through his tears. "Nothing you've ever said or done has made me feel unsafe to express myself around you." He looked down at his shoes, causing his glasses to fall off of his face. "I-I guess it's still the effects of my childhood. It's not your fault, Marinette, and please never think that it is." He let out a soft sob. "I'm really sorry."

Her anger slowly turned into sympathy as she watched his face grow longer. Kneeling down, she picked up his glasses and stood back up. "Hey, I understand. I could never find it in myself to hate you," he finally looked up at her and she took it as an opportunity to wipe the tears from his cheeks. "Try to remind yourself that I am not your father. I won't shut myself away and leave you all alone to grieve." She gently slid his glasses back onto his face and gave him a small peck on the nose.

"I guess we both have things we need to work on, huh?", he grabbed a tissue to wipe his nose. "We're a mess, aren't we?" He thought back to all the chaos they had both endured in the last few days. "I guess it was only a matter of time before we were forced to face it."

"Things are…not the best right now," Marinette said. "That's why it upset me so much to see you trying to hide your feelings from me." She stepped forward and pulled him into a hug. "I love you and I want to take care of you, too. You're so caring and kind and I don't know what I'd do without you."

Adrien hugged her back, squeezing her gently. "All my life I've been taught to take care of others," he nuzzled into her neck. "I'm so sorry if I made you feel like I don't care. I loved our little baby so much and there hasn't been a day where I haven't thought about it."

"I know you care and that's why I tried to ignore these feelings for so long," she brought a hand up and used her fingers to play in his hair. "If anything, I should be angry with myself."

"No, Marinette, it's okay," he began rubbing circles on her back.

She pulled back to look at him. "No, it's not okay," her bottom lip quivered. "I should be happy for Alya. She's my best friend and she's getting to experience one of the most amazing parts of life with a man she loves." She laid her head on Adrien's chest. "I want to be happy, but instead all I feel is anger and sadness. Maybe a little jealous, too."

He pulled her closer to him, stroking her hair. "I guess there's not much either of us can do," he laid his head on top of hers. "Our baby was taken away from us and it's only natural for us to be in pain." He felt himself tearing up again just thinking about it.

"Why us? Why don't we get to have our happy ending?", Marinette asked. "What have we ever done to deserve this type of cruel punishment?"

That was the point when neither of them knew what to say. They stood there together in silence as they listened to each other's quiet sobs. All of their pain cleansed itself through their tears.

Adrien took a deep breath before he spoke. "Look Marinette, I'm really sorry," he pulled her closer to him. "I wish I could take all of your pain away."

"No, if anyone should apologize here, it's me," she looked up at him. "I knew about all the stuff with your father and so I shouldn't have been upset with you." She placed a hand on his cheek and caressed with her thumb. "I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "No, I can't use my past as an excuse for my actions," he placed his hand on top of hers. "I think the message here is that we need to work on our communication. That's very important, Bugaboo."

She giggled to hear him use his nickname for Ladybug out of costume. "Yes, you are correct, kitty cat," she booped his nose. "I guess maybe we just have to deal with not being okay for a little while."

Adrien brushed a piece of hair back behind her ear and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "And we can work on it together," he gave her a small smile. "I love you."

Marinette leaned forward to close the gap between them, enveloping his lips in her own. She put her hands on his cheeks to pull him closer, heating up their kiss. Once they pulled back, they look at each other and their tear stained cheeks. "I love you, too."

"Is it clear?"

Their heads simultaneously turned towards the door to see Tikki and Plagg floating in the doorway.

Marinette's and Adrien's cheeks flushed red as they stared at their kwamis. "Uh, how much did you hear?", Marinette asked.

"Enough to know that you two can never seem to stay mad at each other for very long," Tikki said.

Adrien grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers. "It's true," he turned to her with a smirk on his face. "She's way too beautiful."

Marinette blushed. Even after knowing him for nearly eleven years, she still found herself becoming flustered anytime he complimented her. "It's hard to stay mad at someone who is so sweet and charming," she smiled in satisfaction as a similar blush popped up on his own cheeks.

"So, are you two okay now?", Plagg asked.

"I…don't think we're completely okay," Adrien said. "At least not right now." He felt Marinette squeeze his hand.

"Healing takes time," she turned her head back to her desk. "In fact, I think I might try to start now." She let go of Adrien and sat back down in her sewing chair.

He smiled and leaned down to kiss her hair. "Just don't push yourself too hard, okay?", he said. "Only work on it if you feel like it."

She turned on her sewing machine and watched as the pieces of fabric finally came together.

"I think I'll be fine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still feel so bad for Marinette and Adrien everytime I write this story, but I can't help but love it too. They are on a slow path of healing and conflicts are bound to arise. I hope their "argument" was okay because honestly, that was the scene I was worried about with this one. It's just so hard to come up with good dialogue sometimes, haha. Anyway, I think y'all will love the next one because I am so excited to write it.

**Author's Note:**

> And that ends chapter one. Yeah, this one really broke me. They were so happy, so making them sad really hurt me, but I'm also really excited for everyone to see where this goes. You may already have an idea and if you do, bless you. Until next time!


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